


What Pride Has Brought

by Shadowclanwarrior



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls, F/M, Reverse Pines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-05-31 17:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6480139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowclanwarrior/pseuds/Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An outcast with the constant pressure of her family's legacy, small town rich girl Pacifica Northwest has lived a miserable life in Gravity Falls. But when she is given this strange journal from her only friend, Gideon Gleeful, she soon discovers the great mysteries behind her hometown and the dangers about to come. With the help of a troubled spirit from another dimension, Pacifica vows to unlock all the town's secrets as she and her friends discovers the truth behind the strange little town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Pacifica Northwest, you get back here this instant!" The furious voice of Preston Northwest echoes throughout his mansion, causing a huge disturbance within the household. "Butler, bring back my daughter _now_!"

Running like her life depends on it, Pacifica dashes though her home's hallways, dodging servants and trying not to let the words of her father consume her. She cries out sorry to the servants she bumps into, sensing the butler that her father ordered to get her is closing in.

"Miss Northwest, please stop this!" the butler calls out. "Miss Northwest, your father orders you to stop this childish act!"

"That's all Daddy ever says!" Pacifica called back, fighting the intense heat around her eyes. "'Pacifica, stop _this_! Pacifica, stop doing _that_!'"

Sliding down the railing of the staircase, she was able to lose the butler by flying down the stairs at a great speed. Once on the first floor of the mansion, Pacifica then runs out through the front doors, racing towards the entrance gates as she orders one of the gatekeepers to open them. Just like every time she orders them, they do as she says without question, where she then runs with all her might all the way to the safety of the forest below the hill her mansion sits upon. She runs through the trees, the nature comforting her and bringing her further away from her cruel parents.

Her parents, the richest people in Gravity Falls, who could give her anything her heart desired with a single order and check. She has it all, most people would say...

Oh, if _only_ they knew the truth. If only they could see the loneliness, the neglect, the many impossible standards that is put upon her all her life!

Eventually, Pacifica could feel her legs grow tired, panting heavily as she leans against a tree for support. She takes in deep breaths, doing her best to keep her frustration and loneliness within her to calm herself down.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale...

She clutches her fist and bangs it against a tree, feeling some relief as the anger flows out of her. She stands where she is for a long moment, till she feels stable enough to go into town. The walk is a bit long, but she welcomes it. It is pleasant outside, the weather cool for the beginning of summer, the trees adding some relief from the sun. She stays not too close to the road, in case her father's fury caused their servants to search for her, but close enough to where she will not get lost.

As she walks, she smoothes out her lavender dress and combs back her long blonde hair, hoping to keep up her appearance and not show any weakness or distress. Eventually, Pacifica arrives at the town of Gravity Falls, stepping out of the woods and coming towards the sidewalk. She begins to make her way down the street, feeling the stares of the people around her at her easily recognizable clothes. She keeps her firm blue eyes in front of her, doing her best to ignore them. She walks pass a group of girls from school, where they stop in mid conversation to see her walk pass.

"Oh my gosh, is that Pacifica Northwest?" a large girl with long brown hair tied in a ponytail asks. "And she doesn't have anyone _escorting_ her?"

"I know, that is surprising," a girl with long black hair and glasses replies. "Why would anyone go out if they have the money to have servants do everything for them?"

"Maybe it is because she is so stuck up that even the _servants_ don't want to be around her," another girl adds. "She snaps at almost every time someone talks to her, so who is to say that isn't true?"

The raven haired girl nods in agreement.

"Yeah, good point. Rich people are nothing but snobs anyway, unable to do anything by themselves without buying someone to do it for them."

" _Ha_! That's a good one, Candy!"

The group of girls laugh, Pacifica trying to drown out their voices as she storms off.

Judgment... Judgment everywhere she goes! Everyone has _something_ to say or _something_ to assume about her, not even taking the time to get to know her without shunning her or attempt to use her parent's money. Everyone in Gravity Falls made it almost impossible for her to be around anyone.

Except for one person, _one_ family who has yet to judge her...

With a small chill of anxiety going through her, Pacifica goes over to one of the town's biggest attraction, the Tent of Wonder, owned by the Gleeful family. On a huge poster, she saw the face of the main attraction of the tent, the young magician who believed he could do anything, Lil Gideon. His cute, dimpled smile shines down on her, making Pacifica relax slightly by the warmth it gives off. She can hear Gideon's high pitch voice coming from the tent, knowing that a magic show is in midst of playing. She heads towards the tent and goes inside, standing in the back to watch the rest of the performance.

Right now, Gideon, dressed in a tiny black suit, holds out a top hat with his opposite hand high up in the air. He is standing in the middle of the stage, having the audience's full attention with a big large smile across his face.

"And now for the final trick of the day everyone!" Gideon exclaims through his microphone. "I will now pull a cute, little bunny from my hat!"

He puts his hand inside his top hat.

"Ready everyone?"

The audience nods, some of them giving small 'aww' noises in response to Gideon's cuteness. Pacifica cannot help but smile as she watches him perform his trick, Gideon digging through his hat with a determine look on his face. Suddenly, his expression brightens, his hand suggesting he has taken a hold of something. Like he is using all of his strength, he pulls out a stuff rabbit toy, holding it up to where the audience can see it in full view.

The crowd cheers, Gideon then hugging the bunny close to him and saying thank you. Soon enough, the crowd gets up to leave, some of them leaving small donations in a bucket at the front of the stage as they leave. Once they are all out of the tent, Pacifica walks up to the stage where Gideon is talking to his father.

"You did great, Gideon," Mr. Gleeful says, patting his son on the back. "You are on your way to becoming a real star, I'm sure of it!"

Gideon giggles.

"Thanks, Dad! I always do my best!"

He laughs again, picking up the donation bucket and giving it to his father. Mr. Gleeful takes it, thanking his son and then heading backstage.

"So you were finally able to pull off that trick, huh?" Pacifica says when Mr. Gleeful is gone. "Last time you showed me that trick, you were barely able to get the thing out without it getting stuck."

At the sound of her voice, Gideon quickly turns around, his face glowing at the sight of her.

"Pacifica!"

He jumps off the stage and tackles her in a large hug. Pacifica flinches slightly, giving an uneasy laugh as she hugs her only friend back.

"I'm so glad you were able to come!" Gideon exclaims happily. "I was afraid your parents wouldn't let you come, but here you are!"

He takes a step back, pride gleaming in his brown eyes. Pacifica smiles.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, and I'm glad I was able to see it..."

There is an uneven tone in her voice, a tone that Gideon is easily able to pick up. His smile slowly fades from his face, looking up at her with big eyes.

"Oh no... Did you get into another fight with your parents?"

It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply, her avoiding eye contact and rubbing her arm nervously.

"...Yes. And it was a big one with my dad."

She sighs, feeling all of her emotions coming back up once more. Gideon studies her for a moment, quickly looking backstage for a second.

"I don't think my dad will have too much trouble cleaning up," he says. "Do you want talk about what happened?"

Pacifica says nothing in reply, feeling slightly humiliated at this display of weakness. Gideon is the only person she would even _dare_ tell her problems to, for even though he is just a ten year old, he has a way of giving Pacifica exactly what she needs. Though she rather not bother him with her problems...it was times like these she feels she would go mad if she didn't tell _someone_.

When she doesn't say anything, Gideon automatically goes up to his dad to tell him he was leaving with a friend. Once his father knew and allowed it, seeing it is Pacifica, they left the tent and headed out towards the woods. They walk for a bit, till they find a good place to settle down and be away from it all, an isolated place where Gideon knew she would be the most comfortable.

"So, tell me what's wrong," he says, sitting down on a flat rock. "And don't leave out any details, Pacifica. I'll _know_ if you are keeping something from me."

Pacifica sighs heavily, leaning back against a tree.

"Where do I even begin? You know how my parents don't like it when I go out on my own, right?"

Gideon nods.

"Well," she continues, swallowing her pride, "they got _super_ upset about it today, saying that I shouldn't be seen with commoners when our big party was coming up soon. My dad confronted me today, saying that I need to be driven if I wanted to go somewhere, and to stay out of the woods..."

She begins to rant on how many limitations her father puts on her, Gideon listening closely to each word that she says. It feels good to have someone listen to her, a huge weight being lifted off her chest.

"He told me he would ground me for the rest of month if I didn't stop disobeying him. And when I told him that I didn't care if he grounded me or not, that he can't control every little thing I do... He threatened to have a personal supervisor follow me everywhere I go, even inside my own mansion!"

Not caring that her dress would get dirty and would distress her mother, Pacifica sits down and hugs her knees close to her, trying to stop the tears from forming.

"After that, I was done and wanted to get away," she says with a chocked up voice. "I ran out, my dad furious and having a butler chase after me. I was able to escape, like always, but I'm afraid when I go back..."

She could not finish her sentence, unable to hold back her tears. She cries, feeling humiliated, Gideon watching her sympathetically.

"Oh Pacifica..."

He comes up to her and hugs her close, comforting her the best he can.

"I know you don't like your parents," Gideon says in a soft voice, "but Pacifica, you _gotta_ stop running away all the time! Shutting people out will not solve your problems. You gotta find a way to fix them, you have to make it work with your parents somehow!"

"...How can I?"

Pacifica lifts up her head, her makeup smeared as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

"My parents are not like yours, Gideon. I can't just tell them what's wrong and they will try to make things better."

She clutches her fists.

"No, _my_ parents will tell me to suck it up and that I need more discipline! They don't care how I feel or how I feel about them. They just want to make sure their reputation is not ruined, and that I turn into a clone of them to keep up that reputation!"

She starts to cry again, where Gideon offers her a Kleenex but refuses.

Inhale, exhale... She takes the time to calm herself down. Gideon stays close to her side.

"...I wish there was more I can do for you, Pacifica," he finally says. "I would offer you to spend the night at my house till things were better, but I know I would only make things worse for you and your parents..."

"I _don't_ care," Pacifica replies bitterly. "At least you are _trying_ to help me rather than control me..."

Memories of her parents' disapproval and disappointment flashes through her mind, causing her thoughts to become darker and darker.

"I...don't know if this will help, but what if I gave you this weird journal I found the other day? It's about the supernatural~"

Pacifica blinks. She turns to face Gideon, who is trying his best to appear positive.

"I found this journal while I was this yard sale with my family," he explains. "I was looking for anything new I could use for my magic show, when it caught my eye. At first I thought it was a just a guide to magic tricks, but it then listed all these strange sightings of monsters and stuff. Plus notes about them too! Knowing that you are into that kind of stuff, I was going to wait and give it to you for your birthday. But since you're so sad..."

His smile grows.

"I think you need it more now than when your birthday comes."

Pacifica's eyes widened, feeling touched by her friend's gesture. Normally, physical gifts meant nothing to her, being meaningless possessions that a few green bills could get her. But this gift that Gideon is offering...it has _meaning_ , where someone took the time and effort to get something for her and knowing it would make her happy.

"...Thanks, Gideon," Pacifica says with a small smile. "This means a lot."

"No problem! Anything for a friend."

Gideon helped her stand up, giving a large hug for support.

"This is why you need to open up more, Pacifica! If you allow yourself to make more friends, they will be helping you just as I am!"

She only smiles in reply, for she knew that there is no way to tell Gideon that not everyone is as innocent and open as he is. Even though he annoyed her the first time they met, Pacifica is very grateful to have him as her friend, and that he made living in Gravity Falls somewhat more bearable.

"We'll have to get the journal from my house," Gideon says. "After that, my parents can give you a ride home, if you want."

"I...appreciate the offer, Gideon," Pacifica replies. "Though I don't want my parents getting mad at your parents for me associating myself with you guys."

She sighs heavily, the two of them began to make their way out of the woods.

"Just have them take me to the mall and I will call for one the servants to come get me. That way I can at least have _something_ that my parents don't know about."

There is a small pause, Gideon having trouble finding the right words to say.

"Well...then at least stay for a bit before you go back. I can have my mom bake us some cookies. Would that cheer you up? They're _really_ good~"

Gideon's enthusiasm caused a laugh to escape from Pacifica.

"That sounds great, but I can't. The longer I'm gone, the worse the eventual punishment is going to be."

"True..."

He let out a small an over-the-top sigh.

"And I was looking forward to looking over the journal with you. Especially at the page where it talks about gnomes, like the ones that kidnapped you to become their queen last summer..."

" _Hey_! Don't make fun of that!" Playfully, she hits Gideon's arm. "I was not making that up! I _really_ was kidnapped by gnomes, trying to win me over by pretending they were some hot guy!"

" _Sure_ they did, Pacifica. _Sure_ they did..."

"They _did_! Really!"

With laughs and playful banter, the two of them talk all the way to Gideon's house. The walk only takes twenty minutes, but in that short amount of time, Pacifica feels like a regular girl with no worries looming over her head.


	2. Chapter 2

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Gleeful," Pacifica says as she steps out of the car.

Mrs. Gleeful nods, rolling down the car window so that she could talk.

"It is nothing, dear."

Her smile quickly fades into a frown.

"Though I would feel more comfortable dropping you off at your home. Are you sure you don't want me to make the extra drive? It will be no trouble."

Pacifica shakes her head in reply.

"No. Trust me when I say that it is better this way..."

In her arms, she has the journal that Gideon bought for her, hugging it tightly to her chest as if it is a pillow. Mrs. Gleeful's worried look still lingers, opening her mouth to object when Gideon interrupts her.

"You won't change her mind, Momma. I've tried and tried, but nothing will convince her."

He rolls down his window to say goodbye to Pacifica.

"If you need anything from us, just call the house and we will be there for you. _Don't_ hesitate to reach us!"

There is a pleading look in gaze, looking just as worried as his mother. Pacifica only smiles, really appreciating the Gleefuls' support for the dark time in her life. It is sad, though, that she cannot rely on it in full. She has to face her family's prison eventually.

"I will," she says with a partial lie. "And...thanks again, Gideon. Especially for the book."

Gideon smiles. "What are friends for?"

Reaching out to her through the window, Pacifica leans in and gives him one last hug. She then takes a step back, watching Gideon and his mother drive away, leaving her at the small mall. Once she sees them fade off into the sunset, she lets out a heavy sigh, reaching out for her cell phone and calling her mansion. She waits a few minutes before one of the butlers picks it up.

"Miss Northwest."

It is hard for Pacifica to get the words out.

"I...need a ride home, Wadsworth. I'll be waiting at the front of the Gravity Falls Mall."

"...All right. We shall send someone to get you soon."

He hangs up and she puts her phone away. Pacifica walks over to one of the benches in front of the mall and sits down, setting the journal in her lap and studying the cover. She wonders how in the world she is going to explain her possession of this journal to her parents or one of the servants, having no possible way to hide it. It is a very old book, the maroon/red cover torn up and rotten with age. There is a golden six finger hand with a large number two in the center of it, indicating it is part of a series. She opens the book, being careful not to tear the delicate pages.

From skimming the pages, the journal seems to contain the profiles about various of monsters, ancient artifacts, and magical items. All of it is handwritten and personalized, many shorthand notes and codes that Pacifica could not understand, but nevertheless finds intriguing. She reads that all the entries are sightings or findings that were all located around Gravity Falls. This makes her heart skip a beat.

By growing up in the town all her life, she knows that there has been something lurking around, and not just the gnomes. Throughout her childhood, Pacifica has seen sightings human like creatures, animals that did not look quite normal, and large footprints in the woods that could only belong to a monster. Of course, every time she has told anyone about these sightings, including Gideon, no one believes her and seems to be oblivious to it. But here, this author, whose name is not said, seems to have seen similar things that she has.

"...What's this?"

Pacifica stops her place at a page that immediately catches her interest. It is a two page spread about a creature, a being with a pyramid like shape wearing a bowtie and top hat while having a large, singular eye. It is surrounded by what looks like a summoning circle, having various of symbols around it with some significant meaning to it.

"'...Unknown spirit found in dreams,'" Pacifica reads softly to herself, "'an odd, triangular being that I have found lost in the mindscape.'"

She isn't sure exactly what the author is talking about, but she can tell right away that this 'spirit' is important. His appearance, throughout town, can be constantly seen. Whether it is in the architect, a random drawing done by some kid, or on a piece of artwork, it is _always_ there. That eye, watching...

Pacifica looks over to the second page, her inquisitive nature taking over her as she sees a paragraph to summon this creature. With a gathering of eight candles all lit up in a circle, there is a spell which one chants to summon the spirit.

And...that's it.

It seems like some kind of demon ritual, but from what Pacifica can tell, the thing looks harmless. Curiosity flares up inside of her. What would happen, she thinks, if she were able to summon this creature? Could she finally find some answers as to why those gnomes kidnapped her last summer, or why there is an unnatural atmosphere to Gravity Falls?

"Miss Northwest!"

Pacifica is thrown out of her thoughts as she sees that a limo has come to pick her up. The driver lowers the window, giving her a concerned look.

"...I'm coming."

Folding one of the page corners to keep it marked, Pacifica gets up and goes into it. Surprisingly, neither her father or mother are there to scold her, but instead the butler who had answered her phone call, Wadsworth. Pacifica gives a sheepish smile, sitting right in front of the butler as she waits for the inevitable.

"Miss Northwest," Wadsworth begins. "You have really done it this time. Your parents are furious with you, you scaring them half to death by running away like that."

Pacifica hugs the journal to her chest, feeling the movement of the limo. She partly fears that the butler, even though he has not acknowledged its presence, will take away Gideon's gift.

"I just had to get away," she explains in the most submitting way she could. "I'm sorry for what I have done and I promise I won't do it again."

"Unlikely."

Wadsworth checks his watch.

"I've known you all your life, Pacifica. This will not be the last time rebel against your parents like this."

He sighs.

"You are no longer a child, my dear. You need to start learning to take up responsibility that comes from being part of a wealthy family. With no siblings to split the it with, I'm afraid it is all your burden when the time comes to hold up your father's legacy."

Pacifica avoids eye contact, wishing he would just end the speech she has heard many times before.

"...So," she asks. "Why did they just send you here to get me, Wadsworth? If they're as worried as you say they are, why didn't they come get me themselves?"

It takes a moment for the elderly butler to reply.

"...Your father is overloaded with stress and your mother had to leave town for an important out of town meeting. I was ordered by your father to retrieve and escort you to your room, where you will remain for the rest of the evening."

...That's it?

No grounding, no cell phone taken, computer and TV banding, _nothing_? This...surprises Pacifica, showing just how much strain she has caused her father. Or how much he does not care, and just wants her locked up to not cause more embarrassment. Pacifica looks down at her journal.

"...All right," she finally says, "but can I have one request? For dinner, I mean."

"...If you insist. However, remember that you are being punished for your earlier actions, Miss Northwest."

There is a small pause, as Pacifica takes the time to make sure she words her request correctly. For unlike the other servants, Wadsworth will not blindly follow her orders just because of her name. In most situations, she liked him for that, however, this is the one time where she wishes he was one of the easier servants.

"...I would like to have some candlelight for my dinner tonight. It's going to be dark by the time I eat and I would like to admire the stars."

Wadsworth studies her for a long moment, his hazel gaze filled with uncertainty. At first, Pacifica believes he will not do it, but he eventually lets out a heavy sigh.

"I will do as you say, so long as you do not plan to run away again," he says tiredly. "Your parents are not the only ones who worry, Miss Northwest."

Pacifica blinks, but slowly, she gives a small smile.

"Thanks, Wadsworth."

A warm feeling grows inside her, only increasing to fill her excitement for the ritual that she is about to perform.

* * *

Around ten o'clock, Pacifica places all the candles from her dinner in a small circle in her room. At this time of night, she knows that most, if not all, the servants will be asleep, where she can perform the summoning without any disturbance. She lays the journal in front of the candles, her heart pounding in her chest as she stares at the drawing of the spirit.

The closer it becomes for her to summon the creature, a feeling of nervousness grows inside of her. By all common sense, this was an _extremely_ bad idea. A million things can go wrong if she isn't careful, and while the description of the creature seems nonthreatening...

This isn't something that she can simply fix with a bit of cash.

But if she can summon this spirit, perhaps she can finally get some explanation to all these strange things she has seen since she was a kid. To study this book and the secrets it contains...it will give her something more to do than get swallowed up by her own loneliness. She has no idea who the author is, and by looking through the rest of the journal's contents, this spirit is the only person, or thing, that can give her answers.

Pacifica takes a deep breath of air, lighting up a match she had stolen from one of the maids' closets and lights every single candle. Turning off the electric lights, she then places herself in front of the book and finds her place to begin reading the spell.

"' _Tri-an-gu-lum...entan-gu-lum..._ '"

The words are hard for her to get off her tongue, them being part of some strange language. It becomes easier to say as she continues to speak, her uneasiness fading as she grows more and more confident.

"' _Mete-foris dominus...ventium. Meteforis venetisarium!_ '"

Suddenly, Pacifica's vision becomes blurry and unfocused. The stars from her open window begin to glow with an unearthly aura, any emotion she previously felt gone from her being.

" _Asetnoheptus, asetnoheptus, asetnoheptus, asetnoheptus,_ asetnoheptus _!_ "

The blue light is gone and Pacifica feels a great force knock her back. She grunts, quickly looking up to see a large black pyramid like portal floating in her bedroom. A unnatural wind blows in her room, delighting all the candles and making the air cold. Paralyzed by shock and fear, the only thing Pacifica can do is stare, as the portal becomes more solid.

There is a scream, a scream that did not sound quite human, like it is in an overwhelming amount of pain. As the form becomes more and more solid, all the color in her room becomes monochrome gray, where Pacifica feels as if she has entered some kind of dream. Finally, the portal closes and the screaming ceases, along with the wind. Floating in the portal's place, the same triangular creature stands. Its eye is wide, however she can tell it is not fully awake, it blinking its golden gaze multiple times.

Pacifica takes the time to study the creature, and while its appearance is very accurate to the journal's drawings, she is surprised to see that the creature is glowing blue. She did not know what to expect, but a blue, glowing pyramid is not it.

"...Where...?"

The spirit mutters to itself, some focus appearing in its expression. Though it is easy to tell that it is still confused. The pyramid scans the area around it, seemingly hesitant if it wants to move from its current spot or not. Pacifica blinks, eventually having her gaze meeting the pyramid's.

Upon eye contact, like something shocked it with electricity, the pyramid's eye grew wide and it cries out in terror. Before she can even respond, it dashes towards her bed and hides behind it, crying and muttering words that did not make sense. Pacifica stiffens, startled by the pyramid's actions, but it does not take her long to realize how terrified it is.

A _spirit_. Scared of _her_.

"...It's all right," Pacifica says, standing up. "I'm not gonna hurt you..."

She slowly makes her way to the bed, taking a hold of her journal and stepping around the fallen candles. Eventually, she sees the pyramid trying to shelter itself in the corner, shivering with its eye wide with fear.

"Are you okay...?"

Pacifica makes an attempt to get closer, however the moment she did the pyramid freaks out again.

" _Stay_ back!"

It floats high up into the air, glaring at her like she has tortured it for months and has now finally broke.

"No, I won't let you use me again!" it exclaims. "You will destroy this dimension with the power you have stolen from me! Madman! Liar! _Betrayer_!"

It continues to shout all these accusations at her, making the littlest of sense. Pacifica tries to not take these words to heart, her mind spinning as she tries to figure out what to do to calm the triangle down.

Just as sporadic as its panic, the pyramid unexpectedly stops screaming, staring down at her for a long moment.

"...Wait, you're not him... You are not even close to being him!"

It levitates down to Pacifica's level, studying her carefully. Admittedly, Pacifica flinches on how close it gets, trying her best to stand her ground.

"...You're Pacifica Northwest, aren't you?" the spirit says in almost a matter-of-fact way. "I've seen you before. Many times. I'm surprised that it is you that summoned me."

"Y-you know my name?"

She can't help the stutter. The pyramid nods.

"I know _lots_ of things!"

It gives some space between them, its stare still remaining intense.

"I know and see lots of things! _Especially_ in Gravity Falls. I know lots about Gravity Falls!"

"Oh...kay..."

What an incredible mood swing this thing has. Like the journal describes, the creature appears very harmless. And while she confirmed it can be communicated with, the author _clearly_ did not see its unstable personality. Pacifica knows she has to be careful in her approach, choosing her words carefully.

"Well, if you know lots of things, can you tell me who and what you are?"

She clutches onto the journal tightly. The pyramid takes a moment for the spirit to reply, as once again, its expression becomes confused.

"My name...?"

It pauses.

"Do I...even have a name?"

Pacifica blinks.

"You claim you know a lot of things, yet you do not know your own name?"

"I _do_ know a lot of things!" the spirit replies, "it's just that I know so many things that I forget sometimes. Everything merges together. Past, present, and future..."

Its eye suddenly lights up.

"Oh, I remember! My name is Bill! Bill Cipher! I'm a dream demon that...that..."

It loses its train of thought.

"That...I don't remember. Must not be important."

It begins to mumble, sounding so lost and puzzled.

"So..." Pacifica interrupts, hoping that she can keep it focused again. "You're a 'dream demon' whose also a guy?"

Who knew pyramids have genders? Though it would explain the bow tie and hat...

Bill blinks.

"I guess so... The last human who summoned me assumed I was male. He..."

His eye grew wide.

" _No_! Not again!"

He shakes uncontrollably, as if he is having a bad dream. Pacifica places the journal to the side and gets up on her bed, hoping to get closer to the...'demon.'

"Who is this 'he and him' you keep talking about?" she asks, trying to sound as gentle as possible. "Were you summoned here once before?"

Bill freezes, blinking a couple of times before he makes eye contact with her.

"...Who are you talking about?"

"'Him.' This guy you keep freaking out about."

"...What guy? When did I 'freak out?'"

He seems genuinely confused, all the fear vanished from his expression, like it was never there. Pacifica stares at him.

This 'Bill Cipher' takes being bipolar to a new level, terrified one second and then calm the next. She can see that there is more to him than what she is witnessing, sensing a powerful aura around him that she can barely comprehend. But there is something preventing that power from being fully realized, though it is hard to tell if it is because of the power itself or if something happened in the past. From what she can tell...it is most likely the latter.

"Bill," Pacifica finally says, "I mean you no harm, but I need your-"

"Help? Sure, I can give it!"

Bill let out a small laugh as she stares blankly at him.

"You're interested in Gravity Falls's secrets, aren't you? After getting kidnapped by gnomes, it is understandable to be a little curious. Or weary, but mostly curious."

It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.

"Uh...okay. Thanks for noticing."

Bill gives a happy look, and if he had a mouth, she could imagine that he is smiling.

"Happy to help! I wouldn't want anything to happen to you! Not after we just met."

"'Happen to me?'"

She raises an eyebrow, where Bill just simply nods.

"Yep! So long as you have that journal, danger and possible death will be all around you! The Pines Twins will want you dead for sure once they know what power you'll possess!"

'Pines Twins?' What is that suppose to mean? She didn't know any twins that live in Gravity Falls, much less anyone with the last name 'Pines.'

...Wait, isn't there this one-

"You better get some sleep, Pacifica."

Bill floats up to her, seeing the tired look in her eyes while she tries to repress a yawn.

"You'll need all of your energy if you are going to introduce me to Gideon tomorrow night! It will be a long night for both of you since..."

He stops himself, forgetting what he is going to say. Pacifica yawns again, thinking that the spirit has a point.

She assumes that Gideon had _no_ idea what he actually gave her. He would be scared at first, but Pacifica needs to tell him the truth, or the truth she will soon discover. That...and she is worried about what Bill had said. The Pines Twins will want her dead...

Something tells her that these 'Pines Twins,' whoever they are, are _not_ people to take lightly.

"Well, I'll see you later!"

Heading towards her opened window, Bill flies out. Eyes wide, Pacifica jumps off her bed and chases him down.

"Wait, where are you going!?"

Bill stops and turns to face her.

"I'm going to see Gravity Falls," he explains simply. "It has been a _long_ time since I've seen this town. I want to see how much has changed."

Seeing the distraught look on her face, he goes up to her and pats her head.

"Don't worry, Pacifica. I'll be watching over you and you'll see me again tomorrow night. At..."

His voice trails off, his stare becoming distant for a second.

"...Well, I forget the time, but the point it is, I'll still be around!"

He floats high up into the sky, his figure glowing brightly.

"Remember reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, _bye_ ~"

He vanishes into thin air, color once again reentering the room.

Questions race through Pacifica's mind, her eyelids suddenly becoming heavy as if time is just now catching up to her. Barely able to keep herself awake, she falls backwards right onto her bed, strange dreams taking over her mind as she falls into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_"...Miss Northwest...please...wake...up!"_

A faint, feminine voice echoes pass Pacifica's ears, finding herself drifting within a dreamless sleep. She feels a light hit her face, groaning softly to herself as she does not want to wake up.

_"Hey, wake up Paz! Your maid is getting pretty flustered over here... Though it is pretty hilarious, you should_ totally _see it!"_

Wait, that voice...!

Pacifica forcefully opens her eyes, finding herself on her back, staring up at the face of a maid. She is laying in an awkward position, like she was so exhausted last night she didn't even bother to get into bed properly. She stares up at the maid, who is giving her a worried look.

"Miss Northwest, you need to get up this instant," the maid says, backing away to give Pacifica space. "You're very late for breakfast and your father is furious."

"Oh...okay."

Pacifica sits up, feeling a tad dizzy like she has yet to fully wake up. She looks down on the floor, seeing that the candles she had used last night are nowhere in sight. The window is also closed, though she cannot remember if she did that or not. How did it...how did her room go back to normal? And is the journal...?

"I shall leave it to you to get dress, Miss Northwest," the maid says, interrupting Pacifica's thoughts. "I suggest that as soon as you are dressed, make your way to the dining room where your father is waiting."

With that said, she leaves the room, leaving Pacifica all alone.

Once the door closes, Pacifica quickly looks down her bedside, seeing the very corner of the journal sticking out from underneath her bed. She pulls it up, and as she looks further in, she can see the candles as well.

Did...Bill do this? Did he return from his midnight stroll, or whatever he was doing? And did she...hear his voice only a few moments ago? Pacifica can feel her face pale at the thought of the bipolar 'demon' wandering around the mansion, where he can run into any of the servants, or worse, her _father_.

" _Crap_..."

Placing the journal back underneath her bed, Pacifica quickly changes from her pajamas to a fresh pair of clothes. Not even caring that her bright orange top and pink shorts didn't match, she dashes out of her room. Speed-walking her way through, it does not take her long to go from the second floor to the dining room all the way on the far end of the first floor. She goes inside the room, where sitting at the far end of the table all alone, is her father, drinking a cup of coffee as he reads the Gravity Falls Newspaper. He hasn't seen her, which admittedly upsets Pacifica, as she slowly walks up to him.

"...Daddy..."

He glances over the paper.

"Pacifica."

Their eyes meet, where not a single emotion could be seen in Preston Northwest's dark brown gaze. Pacifica takes a deep breath of air, trying to keep her vision clear of tears. She sits next to her father, where he sets the newspaper to the side and clears his throat.

"Your behavior is getting out of control, Pacifica. Do you have any idea what kind of image you give the Northwest family name if you continue to run away at everything that upsets you? The Northwests have been the most influential family since the founding of Gravity Falls, the main bloodline that is able to bring economic progress to this small town that would have been a ghost town years ago!"

He continues to rant and lecture the importance of their family, image, and how one little action could have major consequences to everything they stand for. The proud Northwest family, the ones who founded the town of Gravity Falls and _must_ continue to lead it even centuries later.

"...There is nothing wrong with me getting out once and awhile," Pacifica argues, clutching her fists tightly underneath the table. "I'm not doing anything wrong by going into the woods or just going to the mall to shop or _anything_! I can't see why I can't be like everyone else without drawing attention to myself!"

"You can still be like be like everyone else," her father quickly counters. "I allow you to go to public school, don't I?"

"That's only because there isn't any other choice! And taking me to school in a limo doesn't count either!"

She stands up, frustration building within her as she glares at her father.

"Don't you see that shouting to the world I'm rich isn't making my life any better?!" Pacifica cries. "Every time I go out, I can hear the other girls' jealousy as they point out my top designer clothes! How my hair is always perfect, how I can have everything while most of them can't!"

Preston Northwest's nose wrinkled as he notices the choice of clothing that his daughter has chosen.

"Pacifica _please_ change into something more presentable. If your mother was here to see this, she would have had a heart attack..."

Pacifica can feel her body shake at the somewhat horrified look on her father's face.

"If these girls are angry at you for having better privilege, that is something you cannot help," he continues. "I'm sure if you try to make friends with some of these girls, they would treat you better and see that you are willing to share with them. You did that with your friends in elementary school and everything was fine."

"'Fine?!'"

Tears begin to fall down Pacifica's cheeks.

"Daddy, they were only friends with me _because_ I was rich! Even as a kid, it didn't take me long to realize they were only interested in me because I could give them stuff!"

Her voice cracks.

"And even when I did have 'friends,' you and mom would only let a few of them even come here when I invited them! Thanks for the help of making me even more of bitch!"

Her father's eyes grow wide. " _Watch_ your language!"

"Well, it is _true_!" Pacifica roars. "I have to be in order to protect myself from everyone and everything! Nobody cares about _Pacifica_ , only _Miss Northwest_! I..."

She cuts herself off, her tearful blue eyes growing wide. Behind her father, she can see a triangular shadow on the wall, floating right next her father's silhouette.

Pacifica stands very still, desperately searching for the rest of Bill Cipher. But she cannot see him, only his shadow, which makes it harder to breathe.

"...Pacifica?"

Preston Northwest turns around.

"What are you looking at? Is there a stain on the wall?"

Pacifica blinks. How... _how_ can he not see the shadow?!

"...Pacifica, I think it is best if you should go to your room and get some extra sleep," her father finally says after a long silence. "But this conversation is not over. When your mother returns tomorrow, we will settle this."

He turns to face her.

"Until then, you are not allowed outside the mansion without my permission. If you sneak out again, I will give you a personal escort for the rest of the summer. Do you understand?"

"I-I..."

Her voice is shaking without control.

"...Yes, Daddy."

Turning her back on her father, Pacifica walks away with the little dignity that she has left. She wipes the tears from her eyes, keeping her gaze straight in front of her. She can see the servants all stare at her as she walks pass, including Wadsworth and the maid from before, all having either a curious or concerned look in their gazes. It's just like the girls from the street...the never ending pressure!

Slamming and locking her bedroom door behind her, Pacifica pounds the door hard with her fists. She balls up and sits against the door, trying to hold back her tears.

But alone like this, she can't hold anything back.

_"Hey~ Why the long face? It could be worse."_

Having the room around her blend to gray again, Pacifica looks up to see Bill floating before her.

"Your father is really worried about you," he says sincerely. "It was written all over his face when you stormed out. Not to mention the look of panic when he turned to 'face' me."

Pacifica lets out a harsh laugh.

"Yeah. _Right_. He is just concerned about his daughter going crazy. Reputation over family, that's how it always is."

She narrows her eyes.

"How come my dad couldn't see your shadow? It was in plain sight, yet he acted like it wasn't there..."

"That is because he _couldn't_ see it."

Having a black cane appear out of nowhere, Bill floats down to ground level, leaning forward against it.

"Being someone who can only interact with your dimension through the mindscape, I can't be seen by someone from the waking world," he explains. "My interactions are also very limited and lifting the simplest objects can be very hard. But there are exceptions!"

His expression turns cheerful.

"Being the one who summoned me, you can see my shadow in the waking world. Same thing goes for others who I've met in the mindscape, though I'm not completely sure why that is the case..."

His voice trails off, looking off towards the distance as he tries to recall the information that he has missed placed. Pacifica studies him, noticing that Bill is a lot calmer and more consistent than last night. Perhaps taking the time to have his mind settle in a brand new setting helped with his memory troubles?

"What is this 'mindscape' you keep mentioning?" Pacifica asks. "Is that where you are from?"

Bill turns to face her.

"...I don't think I'm from there, at least not at first. I think at one point I lived in Gravity Falls, but that was a long time ago. Because something happened, something that..."

His eye grows wide, like he is about to remember something important. Pacifica waits anxiously to hear what he has to say. But just like before, when he had freaked out about 'him,' whatever is trying to come back fades away.

"Wait...what was I saying again?"

Again, he is confused. Pacifica sighs.

"You _really_ should get some help for that memory problem of yours."

She gets up and goes over to her bed to get out the journal. Bill watches her, coming to her side.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm going to read over the journal," Pacifica answers, wiping away any remaining dust. "It's the only thing I can do while I'm stuck here."

She goes over to her desk and sits down, opening the book.

"Do you remember when you said last night?" she asks specifically. "About me going to see Gideon tonight?"

It takes a minute for Bill to answer, sorting through his memories.

"I think so... I mainly remember you being really freaked out over stuff I was saying. Though I forget what I was mostly talking about..."

Pacifica keeps her eyes on the journal.

"Well even if you don't remember, I will need you to come with me tonight to meet Gideon. He needs to see you if he is going to believe anything I say, especially when I warn him about the Pines Twins."

"...Oh yes, the Pines Twins!" Bill's expression brightens up. "Yes, you will need to warn him about them! They're as big as a threat to him as they are to you."

"Thought so. And I'll need his help if I'm going to fight them off."

Pacifica turns to face Bill.

"If you remember anything about the Pines Twins or anything that is important, you need to tell me right away before you forget," she advises. "Hopefully in the next few days I can get on my parents' good sides so I can sneak off more easily. Once I get my freedom back, maybe I can go searching for all these creatures and artifacts the journal talks about."

She takes out a notebook and a bright pink pen.

"With the 'Pines Twins' threat and new secrets to unlock, this is going to be the best summer ever! I just need to keep my focus on it and-"

" _Whoa_! Slow down, Paz!"

Going right through her, Bill places himself between her and the journal. Pacifica shivers as he does, a cold feeling going through her and making her stomach twist.

"Don't go all 'obsessive' on me!" Bill exclaims, waving his finger in the air. "It's cute that you are all curious and stuff, but don't get too involved or you'll end up hurting yourself."

Pacifica pushes her chair back, him being _way_ too close for comfort, and crosses her arms.

"I'm not gonna get obsessed or anything like that. There is nothing to worry about."

She pauses for a second.

"And did you just call me 'Paz?'"

He nods.

"It's my new nickname for you. Like it?"

Pacifica narrows her eyes.

"No, not really."

"Well to bad~"

He laughs to himself while she rolls her eyes. Somehow, she has a feeling that arguing with a magical flying pyramid will be pointless.

"But I was being serious."

For the first time since they met, Pacifica can hear a level tone in Bill's voice.

"Bad things happen to people who get too close to the truth. You, and Gideon, could get hurt."

Like before, the look in his eye indicates that he is trying to remember something. Pacifica blinks, wondering why a supernatural creature who knew 'a lot of things' is having a hard time recalling them. Is it possible that Bill is preventing himself from recalling certain information? It sounds like he is, being very knowledgeable one moment and then confused the next few moments. There are so many questions, yet few answers she could get at this point.

Bill, this journal, heck, even the gnomes she encountered last year! They all lit the way for so many opportunities, ones that could change the course of her unlikable life and finally give her a purpose.

A small smile makes it way to Pacifica's lips.

"I'm willing to risk it," she finally replies. "And I'm not stupid. I know my limits and when to back off."

She keeps firm eye contact with Bill, hoping that she can somehow convince him that she is telling the truth. He studies her for a long moment, a look of doubt in his gaze. He lets out a heavy sigh.

"Well...at least you have Gideon to stop you when things go too far. You're gonna need it."

He flies away from the desk, allowing Pacifica access to the journal again.

"I'll see you tonight when it's time to set off. Bye for now!"

Pacifica's eyes grow wide.

"Wait, Bill!"

But it is too late, for he has already teleported away. Color once again returns to her room, Pacifica blinking her eyes a few times like she just came out of a trance. She lets out a sigh, hoping that he would stay out of trouble, and turns her attention back to studying the journal.

She has a lot of time to kill before night finally comes.


	4. Chapter 4

Gideon is known to have strange dreams. Dreams that usually are from his younger years, where he would be playing in his parents' yard and come face to face with strange creatures. The details are never clear, being left with faint images and feelings that leaves him very confused. But this dream that he is having is very different, for he feels very much conscious and alert.

He is standing in the middle of the stage in his performing tent, the stage lights being more intense than normal with the lack of color around him. There is no one in the audience, not even his father projecting the lights. He is seemingly all alone, though he has the feeling that he is performing for someone.

"You really got a face for TV, kid!" a strange voice echoes though the tent. "I bet you can make it to Hollywood if you try hard enough! And are willing to give up your sanity."

Gideon blinks, having a triangular shadow block the stage light. The light fades down, to where Gideon has an easier time to see the triangle before him. He stares at it, noticing that it has one eye, a top hat, and a bowtie.

"Wha...?"

... _Why_ is he dreaming about a floating dorito that is dressed as a gentleman? That thing looks like a dorito... Is it a cool ranch dorito, being blue and all?

The flying dorito sighs.

"Get your head out of the...what it's called again?"

It pauses.

"...Well, whatever. I need you to wake up so you can meet up with Paz, Gideon!"

"'...Paz?'"

The name does not ring a bell, Gideon having a hard time rapping his head around the whole scenario. When he takes too long to answer, the magical cool ranch dorito gets impatient and brings out a black cane.

"I'm talking about your friend Pacifica, short stack!" It hits Gideon's head with the cane. "Pacifica needs you to meet her at the Tent of Water!"

It pauses for a second.

"Wait...I don't think that's right..."

It ponders while Gideon rubs his head, feeling an intense pain from where the dorito hit him.

" _Hey_! That _hurt_!"

He is trying to keep his eyes from watering. The dorito rolls its single eye.

"Geez, you really are a baby," it says. "I didn't even hit you that hard!"

Gideon glares up at it.

"...Wait!" His eyes grew wide. "Did you say something about Pacifica?"

" _There_ we go!"

The dorito flies around him happily.

"Yes, _Paz_! You need to meet her at your tent thingy as soon as you wake up!"

It floats higher up into the air.

"And remember to be quick about it! Otherwise that old man...guy may get to her. Or you!"

The dorito starts to glow blue, the surrounding area beginning to fade like a melted painting.

"I'll see you again soon, kid!" it exclaims. " _Bye_ ~"

It's voice slowly fades till the dorito vanishes. Gideon feels a great amount of heat flow pass him, making it hard to breathe as he senses himself waking up from the dream...

* * *

Opening his eyes, Gideon stares up at his bedroom's ceiling, feeling a heavy blanket that is laying over him. He blinks, sitting up and staring at the blanket.

Wait...he did not have this on when he first went to bed. He only has one blanket on him in the summer, so why does he...?

He pushes it off of him, and though it is dark, he can see some kind of marking on right hand. Like he has just seen a snake, Gideon jumps out of bed and runs to his desk, turning on the lamp and looking down at hand. Written in childish black sharpie, it reads:

_'The dream is real_

_-Bill'_

He can feel his face pale. What does this mean? Is Pacifica in trouble? The dorito, apparently named Bill, talked about meeting her at the Tent of Wonder. Did something worse happen with her parents? Is Pacifica considering...?

He stares down at his hand for a long moment, till he sees that there is something written below his wrist.

_'Look what I did to your other hand.'_

Hesitantly, he glances down at his left hand. There is an outline of his palm and fingers, on his thumb a little bird beak and two eyes. And in the middle of the drawing it says:

_'Hey look a turkey :D!'_

...There are no words to describes how Gideon feels right now.

Regardless, he is convinced that the dream he had is real, and quickly puts on a t-shirt and shorts. He then opens his bedroom window and crawls out it. He makes a run for the Tent of Wonder, his heart pounding in his chest as he hopes Pacifica is there all right. Bill mentioned something about an old man coming after her if he is not quick enough... Does he mean the homeless man, McGucket? He is known to be a bit snappish, yes, but he has yet to really hurt anyone...

Still, Gideon fears the worst, for anything can happen in the dark of night.

Finally, he reaches the Tent of Wonder, where to his relief, he sees Pacifica standing there with a flashlight.

"Pacifica!"

He runs up to her, and at the sound of his voice, Pacifica aims her flashlight right at him.

"Gideon! I'm glad you came."

Gideon pants heavily, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"...P-Pacifica! You won't believe what happened to me!" He takes in heavy breaths as he speaks. "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I had a dream about some flying, talking dorito wanting me to come meet you here tonight! At first I thought I was just having my usual strange dreams...but _look_!"

He shows her both of his hands, where Bill's writing and drawing are clear to see. Pacifica blinks, studying them closely.

"...Really? Bill did this?"

"You _know_ him?!"

Gideon stares at her like she has gone mad, where she gives an uneasy laugh.

"Sorta. You see Gideon..."

From a large, bright purple book bag, Pacifica takes out the journal he had given her yesterday. Already, it is full of bookmarks and stuffed with notes, where she quickly opens the book up to a certain page.

"The...'dorito' is Bill Cipher," Pacifica explains, pointing to the page. "He's a spirit from this dream world and I came into contact with him last night."

Gideon's heart stops as he stares at the picture of Bill, looking just like the thing from his dream. But what causes his face to pale and fear to rise is the text he reads, the ritual needed to summon it. A ritual. That can only mean one thing...

"...Pacifica _what_ did you do?"

His body shakes uncontrollably, as if a large weight has suddenly been dropped upon him. Pacifica swiftly comes to his side, putting the journal up and holding him up.

"Gideon I know this looks bad," she says, defending herself. "But you saw Bill earlier and he means well."

_"That's right!_ Completely _harmless!"_

As if on cue, Bill Cipher appears out of thin air, having Pacifica and Gideon enter a dream like state. Gideon looks up, seeing that the demon is twirling his cane cheerfully.

"Relax, kid," Bill says. "You're gonna give yourself a heart attack from the fear your giving off."

Gideon flinches back, expecting that the demon is going to strike and take his soul, or whatever he wants, at any second. Pacifica glares at him.

"Stop scaring him, Bill." She crosses her arms. "I appreciate you telling Gideon to come, but really? A _turkey_?"

"What? I thought I did a good job!"

He flies up to her, an innocent look in his bright yellow gaze to contrast with Pacifica's icy stare. Gideon watches the two, completely stunned.

"...When I said that you needed to open yourself up more, _this_ isn't what I meant!"

Pacifica turns to face him.

"Look...I didn't bring you out here to argue about Bill," she confesses. "I only wanted to show him to make you believe me when I say that this journal is magical!"

She takes it out again and starts skimming through the pages.

"This book right here _proves_ that I was right all along! That not only are there gnomes here in Gravity Falls, but much, much more! And Bill is only the beginning..."

She passes the book to Gideon, encouraging him to read it. He blinks, glancing down at the journal, his gaze moving between it, Pacifica, and Bill. His stomach twists with uneasiness, where he eventually opens it and skims.

Using the flashlight for light, he reads about all these supposed sightings and findings that were found in Gravity Falls, seeing some of the notes Pacifica has written to confirm some of them. It does not take long until Gideon finds himself completely overwhelmed, handing the book back to her and letting out a heavy sigh.

"So...what does this all mean?" he finally asks. "You summoned a demon and that proves magic is real. What is it that you're trying to gain?"

Pacifica narrows her eyes, putting the journal away for the final time. She seems partly hurt that her friend did not understand of what all this ultimately means, but she does her best to keep her emotions in check.

"It means that there is much more to Gravity Falls," she explains. "Lost secrets, things yet to be discovered... And this journal is the key to all of it! We could find all this and-"

"'We?'"

Gideon cuts her off before turning his gaze to the demon.

"...Can you excuse us for a moment, Bill?"

Without waiting for a reply, he grabs Pacifica by the wrist and pulls her off to the side to where Bill would be out of ear shot. He waits a moment to make sure the demon does not follow, and once he feels safe, he turns to his friend and blurts out, "Pacifica, this is crazy! You summoned a demon! I repeat, a d-e-m-o-n. _Demon_!"

"Hey, keep it down!" Pacifica waves her hands as a way to keep him from yelling. "I told you already that Bill is okay. It won't be too long before you see the _really_ bad memory problems he has. Even if he is a demon, I bet he has already forgotten that he is one!"

"Yep!"

Appearing out of nowhere, Bill places himself between Gideon and Pacifica. Gideon cries out and Pacifica flinches, the demon seemingly amused by this.

"I know everything and yet know nothing," he explains nonchalantly. "I don't want much in the long run. I think... But either way, there is nothing I want that would make me want to harm anyone. Besides~"

He flies back behind Pacifica and hugs the top of her head affectionately.

"Any friend of Paz is a friend of mine! She is the one who summoned me after all. As long as you are on her good side, there is no reason for me to be against ya!"

He continues to hug her, Pacifica clearly getting very annoyed by this and asking politely for him to stop. Which he doesn't, giggling to himself while she grows more frustrated. Gideon watches with wide eyes. Seeing a flying supernatural triangle hug his best friend's head like it is some sort of little kid...

Yeah, this is the weirdest thing he has ever seen.

"... _Anyways_ ," Pacifica finally says, trying her best to ignore Bill. "Another thing I wanted to warn you about is that there may be some sort of threat coming to town soon."

Gideon raises an eyebrow. "A threat?"

Pacifica gives a large nod, which has an enough force to make Bill let go of her. The demon playfully pouts, muttering that she is no fun, but she and Gideon ignore him.

"Yeah," Pacifica continues. "Like Bill said, he knows a lot of things, some of it being future events. Apparently these people called the Pine Twins will be here soon and will be very dangerous. I think they have another volume of these journals, as they are a threat to us by me having one of them. With Bill's help, we need to find out who they are and what their plans are, where we stop them before they can do anything bad!"

It takes a moment for Gideon to reply, as he wants nothing more than to say that this is childish and that Pacifica needs to get her head out of the clouds. Pines Twins? There are no twins in Gravity Falls, and being a small town, he practically knew everyone who lives here! However, seeing the look in her big blue eyes, and the demon floating right next to her...

He has a feeling that whether he is involved or not, Pacifica will be doing something that she shouldn't get involved with. He can see disaster coming from this, and he can't afford anything to happen to his friend.

"...Okay," Gideon finally answers. "I'll help you. But let's talk about this tomorrow so we don't have to stand here in the middle of the night."

Pacifica's eyes grow wide, looking as if surprised by Gideon's response. She gives a large smile.

"Thank you, Gideon! This means so much to me."

She gives a quick, heartfelt hug.

"I promise you won't regret this! I'll come by during one of your shows and we can talk afterwards, okay?"

Gideon nods, trying to force a smile.

"...W-what are friends for?"

He clears his throat.

"So...will ya be okay going home by yourself?"

He feels extremely uncomfortable for her to walk home alone in the middle of the night. Actually, he felt uncomfortable about _himself_ walking home alone in the middle of the night! But Pacifica simply shakes her head and smiles.

"I'll be fine. McGucket lives on the opposite of town from where my mansion is, so it shouldn't be any problem."

She looks up at the demon.

"Plus Bill can keep an eye on us if something happens. Right, Bill?"

He nods in reply.

"Unless insects count, there will be nothing that comes between you and..."

He cuts himself off, losing his train of thought, getting distracted by a month hitting a streetlight. Pacifica rolls her eyes while Gideon groans silently. A demon, watching over him?

_Great_...


	5. Chapter 5

Having her alarm go off so she does not oversleep, Pacifica wakes up and gets herself ready to have breakfast with her father. She dreads it, _terribly_ , as she has not talked to him since yesterday morning and knew that her mother will not be home till tonight. It will be incredibly awkward, and she wishes more than anything to just say in her room and study the journal. But she can't, because someone will come to get her eventually.

Surprisingly, as she is getting ready, she sees that Bill is nowhere in sight. And even more surprising is that it is taking a long time for one of the maids to inform her breakfast is ready. Pacifica ends up waiting for a long time, at least a good twenty minutes, dozing in and out of a daydream. After what seems like forever, Bill flies into her room by going through one of her walls.

"Morning Paz!" he exclaims happily. "Did you sleep well?"

Pacifica rests her chin against her hand.

"Fine."

Her response is very clear cut, keeping her gaze on the door, anxious for it to open. Bill blinks.

"...You don't sound fine."

He flies closer to her.

"...You know, you can just always go to breakfast without an escort," he says, reading her mind. "It's gonna be the same whether you wait or not. I can tell you are going insane by keeping yourself cooped up in here."

Pacifica says nothing in reply. She didn't want to admit it, but he is partly right. She wants to get out and be free from her mansion's walls, to get out and have a carefree summer like most kids her age...

"...You're _really_ hopeless, aren't you, Paz?"

Taking out his cane, Bill pokes her hard enough to get her off the bed. Pacifica yelps and falls face first.

"W-what the heck?!"

She gets to her feet and glares at Bill, who is doing all he can to suppress a laugh.

"Just go out there already and stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Bill says, blunt and harshly. "It's not that difficult. Just face up to your fears and I promise it will all be okay!"

Pacifica clutches her fists.

" _What_ do you know?! You think I can just go down there and a new magical understanding between me and my dad will happen!? It will just be the same as yesterday, only much worse!"

"So you have no problems sneaking off in the middle of the night, you, a young girl all alone, but the moment you have to spend alone time with your dad, you get scared?"

Bill taps his fingers against her bed post, giving her a look that says _something_ is wrong with this picture. Pacifica opens her mouth to argue, but no words come out. She stares at him for a long moment, before letting out a heavy sigh.

"... _Fine_. I'll go down there. Happy?"

Bill rolls his eye.

"Geez, you making it sound like I'm asking you to pull out your fingernails..."

He floats up to her and pats her head.

"Just _trust_ me when I say that everything will be fine. Now, have fun~"

He snaps his fingers and vanishes, Pacifica waking up from her dream like trance. She lets out a heavy sigh, being alone once again, turning to face the door and staring at it. She puts her hand on the doorknob, slowly opening it. From the corner of her eye, she spots Bill's shadow, where she forces herself out of the room without any time for a second thought. Wanting to get this over with, she walks with a quick pace. On her way to the stairway, she runs into one of the maids who lets out a surprised gasp.

"Miss Northwest! You're up early."

She gives an uneasy look, one that Pacifica tries to ignore.

"I got hungry and wanted something to eat," she explains. "Did my dad send you to get me?"

"Y-yes," the maid replies. "He is waiting for you in the dining room where you breakfast has already been prepared."

She gives a respectful bow.

"Enjoy it, Miss Northwest."

The maid walks away, going passed Pacifica. So, her father _did_ send someone to get her...

Taking a deep breath of air, she finishes her walk to the dining room, where like yesterday, he is sitting by himself and is reading the newspaper. Pacifica slowly walks up to him, swearing that she felt an invisible force pushing her along every time she drags her feet.

"...H-hi Daddy..."

At the sound of her voice, Preston Northwest jumps in his seat, quickly putting down the newspaper to look at her.

"...P-pacifica!"

His voice is hoarse, his eyes having bags underneath them like he has not slept all night. Along with a strange blacken area in between his eyebrows, trying to connect them like a unibrow, that looks like washed out marker. Pacifica cannot help but be slightly disturbed by her father's appearance, sensing right away that something is wrong.

"...Have you been waiting long for me, Daddy?"

She sits down next to him where a plate of eggs, pancakes, and bacon has been prepared for her. She begins to eat, waiting for her father to reply.

"...Pacifica..."

His voice is unusually soft, tired even.

"...Were you in your room all day yesterday?"

Pacifica swallows a bite of egg.

"...Yes. I was doing a bit of summer reading for school."

" _Just_ reading? Nothing else?"

"I...did get on my laptop at some points, but I mostly read school stuff."

She raises an eyebrow, trying to see where her father is going with this. What is wrong with him? Why does he seem so...?

"...I talked to your mother on the phone last night," Preston Northwest finally says after an uneasy silence. "I told her what we discussed yesterday, and she feels that I'm putting too much responsibility on you. You're only thirteen years old, she says, and it is about time you started acting more like it. So..."

He pauses for a moment.

"If...you can start proving to me that you can take responsibility for your family name, I will start letting you leave the mansion on your own. You will have a curfew, mind you, and the more you can prove to me the longer I will allow you to stay out. Do I make myself clear?"

Pacifica drops her fork, her eyes wide with shock. She stares at her father, unable to believe what she just heard. Never has he been willing to negotiate with her, it has always been an order to do what he says and never question it.

Something... _something_ has occurred to make her father start changing his mind. And she doubts it is just her mother's words.

"...Okay," Pacifica finally says, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. "What do you want me to do, exactly?"

Even on his end, it looks like Preston Northwest is shocked by his daughter's cooperation.

"You will show your pride of being a Northwest and not be afraid to show it. That's the first thing you can do."

He takes a drink of orange juice.

"But the first big opportunity to prove yourself is during our town's Pioneer Day next week. Help your mother and I host it, and you will regain more of your freedoms and our trust back."

What trust did she lose in the first place? Pacifica does not question this out loud, but simply nods her head with her eyes darting from wall to wall.

"So how long am I allowed out of the house now?" she asks.

"Because of the disrespect from yesterday and the day before, you are only allowed out of the mansion for an hour. You will call no less than five minutes before the hour ends to be picked up, if in town. If you go 'adventuring,' or whatever you do in those woods, you comes _straight_ back to the mansion. You will be telling me, or have one of the servants, where you will be going as well. And if I do not hear from you before your time is up, or you do not report back within your curfew, you will lose that privilege immediately. Are we clear?"

There is a short silence, Pacifica and her father having firm eye contact.

"...Yes, Daddy," she finally says. "I'll prove to you that I can handle myself."

She finishes her breakfast.

"When can I go out?"

"Any time before nightfall," Preston Northwest answers.

"And I just have one hour a day?"

"Yes."

"...Okay."

She gets up from her chair.

"...I'll see you later, Daddy. And...thanks."

With a heavy feeling in her stomach, Pacifica turns away from her father and begins to walk away.

"W-wait! Don't you want to go out now, while it isn't as hot out?"

The distressed tone in her father's voice caused her to stop. Pacifica turns to face him.

"I only have an hour to go by," she explains. "I want to think what I want to do before I waste time trying decide where I wanna go."

She raises an eyebrow.

"Dad...?"

She hesitates, the words of concern getting caught in her throat. There is an intense look in Preston Northwest's gaze as he waits for her to continue.

"...Never mind."

Before he has a chance to stop her, Pacifica speed-walks out of the dining room and goes straight to her room. Closing and locking the door behind her, she takes a moment to catch her breath.

"... _Bill_!" she calls out, hoping that it wasn't loud enough for any of the servants to hear. "Bill, are you here?"

_"Wow, you were fast to get back here."_

Pacifica blinks a couple of times before Bill finally appears.

"Why are you still here?" he questions, seemingly puzzled. "You got the freedom you wanted from your dad, go enjoy it! Go see Gideon or something!"

Pacifica narrows her eyes.

"You had _something_ to do with my father's decision, didn't you?"

Bill blinks, as if he is trying to recall a long lost memory.

"...Maybe I did, maybe I didn't..."

He looks off towards the distance.

"I honestly can't remember. But if I did, I just wanted to help you out~"

"'Help me...'"

Pacifica stops herself. She lets out a heavy sigh as her anger ceases. There is no reason to get mad at Bill, in fact there isn't too much of a reason for her to be mad at all...

For the first time in a _long_ time, she and her father are able to get something accomplished without getting on each others' nerves. Even if her father looked stressed and sleep deprive...maybe it is because he is finally seeing what she has been wanting him to see all this time. Maybe there is hope after all.

" _So_ ~ Is everything good?"

Bill flies up to her, waiting impatiently for an answer. Pacifica takes a moment to reply.

"...Yeah, I guess so..."

She gives a small smile.

"...And thanks, Bill. For pushing me to go out there."

"You're welcome, Paz!"

He goes up to her and hugs her head, Pacifica flinching at his touch.

"So...do I get a hug for helping you out like Gideon did?" Bill asks in a sing-song tone of voice. "I was very hurt with you not liking my other hug and drawing last night!"

Pacifica rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

"Don't push it. And as long as you keep calling me 'Paz,' you won't be getting _any_ hug from me!"

"But the name fits you so well!"

"Okay then. So long as you call me 'Paz,' I'll start calling you..."

She takes a moment to think.

"...Flying Dorito! Since that fits _you_ so well."

There is a long silence.

"...Hey, that's actually pretty funny! You _do_ have a sense of humor after all!"

Bill backs away from her, dodging the playful glare Pacifica is giving him while giggling.

"Though I have to ask," he adds, "what _is_ a dorito? Is it some type of animal or something? And why would an animal have anything to do with ranch dressing?"

He continues to ask question upon question, most of them soon having nothing to do with doritos. Pacifica laughs.

"I guess Gideon and I will have to show you sometime," she says. "Perhaps starting today, we can introduce you to all the great things of this world. Starting with doritos."


	6. Chapter 6

For the next few days, Pacifica would make her way to the forest with Gideon and Bill to try to uncover the secrets of her journal. Every morning, she would give Gideon a call, informing him _exactly_ where he needs to meet her so they do not waste any time. While he does not like the idea of running back and forth between his work and helping Pacifica, Gideon puts up little resistance. He goes along with her plans, hearing the excitement and gratitude in Pacifica's voice as she tells him her theories and thoughts in great detail. It is good to see that she is becoming more optimistic, seemingly happier with her life. However Gideon can't help but worry, especially that it seems like wherever Pacifica goes, Bill is right beside her.

Even when he doesn't show himself though the mindscape, as he calls it, Gideon can see his triangular shadow almost always right next hers. It is very clear that the demon is very fond of her, being very open around her and teasing her as a close friend would. Though whether or not she knew it herself, Pacifica also seems very close to him, becoming less snappish and cold towards his playful banter and actions. Again, Gideon is happy to see Pacifica open herself more to the world...but to have it be a _demon_ who helps bring it out...

As the days went on, he notices that Bill tries to settle the tension between them by attempting to become 'friends,' visiting him sometimes after a show or at his house. He can't tell if it is genuine or not, as most attempts usually end with Gideon being freaked out or Bill acting...Bill.

There are few words that can describes the demon's actions, his memory and thought process so bizarre that Gideon has a hard time understanding it. At times, he acts like a cat trying to chase a laser pointer, wanting to learn more about this world and its people. At other times, he lists off random facts and events, none of it making the tiniest of sense. Pacifica was not kidding when she had said Bill has many problems, his unstable mindset indicating that he has suffered a lot. Slowly, Gideon begins to feel sorry for him, however it is not at the point where he lets his guard down.

Bill is still a demon, and nothing can change that fact.

In present time, Gideon is now lying in bed, in a deep sleep as he rests for Pioneer Day. While he does not take a big part in the town holiday, he does know it will be very exhausting and he will need all his energy to enjoy it. He is dreaming about his magic show routine, where he is thinking about maybe hiring an assistant to start learning bigger and better magic tricks; when suddenly, the dream comes to a monochromic halt. Gideon stops where he is on strange, his imaginary assistant and audience gone. He lets out a sigh, knowing that Bill will be coming at any second.

"Three...two..."

"Hey there, short stack!"

On cue, the demon randomly appears in front of him, twirling his cane and looking around the dream.

"Is this really _all_ you think about, night and day?" Bill asks bluntly. "Really kid, there is more to life than your little magic shows."

Gideon rolls his eyes.

"I have to come up with new material every few days in order to keep business up," he explains. "This town is small, so I have to do what I can to keep the same people entertained constantly."

He sits at edge of the stage, feeling that even in a dream his feet hurt from being on them continuously. He can feel his muscles relaxing, taking the time to have his mind settle, ready to listen to whatever Bill wants. It takes a moment for Bill to make a reply, as he is studying Gideon very carefully.

"...For a family that struggles to make money, you guys don't act like it at all. No begging or asking for money..."

He flies down to Gideon's level, standing on the ground with little to no movement. Gideon lets out a soft sigh.

"With my dad being a used car salesman and my shows' small ticket sales and donations, we make enough to keep our house and all. Though sometimes we barely make it, depending on Dad's sales. Half the time, the money I make is what saves us, since my mom can't work because of her fragile health."

He gives a small smile.

"It is hard work, but I enjoy it. It makes me happy knowing that I am helping my family. And that's what matters."

There is a long silence, Bill being unusually quiet and submissive. While it partly touches him that he is taking the time to listen, Gideon is slightly concerned by the silence. He wonders what Bill is thinking, and knowing that the demon can read his own mind, made his uneasiness grow.

"...I _really_ wish you'd stop being so cautious around me, kid."

Avoiding eye contact, Bill plays with his cane by spinning it with one finger.

"What do I have to say or do to make you start trusting me?" he asks, sounding partly hurt. "There are many differences between my kind and yours, but we can both still feel the same emotions. I can feel emotional pain and loneliness. Betrayal, rejection, and all that jazz..."

...Betrayal?

There is a bitter tone to his voice as he says it, like a long partial pain that has not quite fully healed. This raises a few questions, though Gideon is quick to push those thoughts back before Bill has time to read them.

There is a small pause.

"...I'm not gonna lie and say that this is easy for me to accept," Gideon finally says. "But I...don't mean to hurt your feelings."

He avoids eye contact.

"...Just give me some time, okay?"

"Okay!"

Like his mood did a one eighty, Bill leaps and gives Gideon over-the-top blonde-white hair a large huge. Gideon can't help but laugh slightly, surprisingly not alarmed by the sudden action, as the demon dorito sits on top of his head with barely any weight to him.

"So, now that is settled," Bill says cheerfully. "I should probably tell ya why I came here in the first place..."

He pauses, taking a moment to recall his original purpose. Gideon rolls his eyes, not surprised in the slightest that he has forgotten.

"...Does it has something to do with Pacifica? Or Pioneer Day, since that's today?"

Bill's eye widens.

"Oh yeah! Paz and that Old Timey Day thing!"

He looks down at Gideon.

"What I was going to ask ya, kid, was that you make sure and help support Paz while she 'helps' her parents. There is only so much I can do in the waking world for her, so I'm counting on you help her out, all right?"

"Uh..."

It takes Gideon a few seconds to reply.

"...Well, I would, but Pacifica doesn't want her parents to know about our friendship. I mean, she's told me herself and I don't wanna do anything that can possibly damage-"

"Well considering that I _live_ with her, I can safely say that I know she will be happy for your support."

The dorito flies off his head to face him eye to eye.

"I'm not saying you have to be right beside her the whole time. Just spend by every once and while to make sure she is fine. Now that isn't too hard, is it?"

"N-no, I'm not saying it's hard, it's just..."

He stops himself. From the look in his eye, Gideon can tell that Bill will continue to argue with him till he agrees. And even with that, he knows that Pacifica will be feeling anxious to be around her parents all day and be in the spotlight with little to no breaks. Perhaps Bill is right and that paying Pacifica a short visit when he got the chance may help her confidence. Bill's gaze brightens up.

"See? I told ya it would be a good idea!"

He levitates higher up and prepares to make his leave.

"Well, see you later kid. Gotta talk to Paz before she begins her long day. See ya~"

In a blink of an eye, he is gone, Gideon slowly waking up from his dream, feeling the sunlight coming in from his bedroom window.

* * *

As Pioneer Day finally begins, Gideon and his family are in the midst of a large crowd. They are gathered at the front of a large wooden stage, waiting to hear the opening speech of the holiday. The speech is to welcome everyone for coming and to give a brief history of the town. It will be spoken by the Northwest family, being the family who founded the town. Gideon knows that this will be Pacifica's first time to do something like this, and he wishes her the best of luck.

"Can you see all right, Gideon?" Mrs. Gleeful asks her son. "We can see if we can get a better view for you."

Gideon shakes his head.

"I'm fine, Mama. I can see just fine."

He can see through the cracks between the people in the crowd, having a good enough view to see the podium. Soon enough, the Northwests come up to the stage, and just like all the other local residents, are dressed in 1860s fashion. Mr. Northwest gently pushes Pacifica up to the podium, who shakily approaches it. Her face is painted with nervousness and fear, her breathing heavy as it can be heard from the microphone. Seeing that she is struggling, Gideon makes an attempt to go through the crowd and get closer to the front.

"G-good morning, people of Gravity Falls," Pacifica stutters. "I w-welcome you to our town's annual P-pioneer Day, where we celebrate the founding of our great t-town and how far we have come in its h-history."

She introduces herself as the great, great granddaughter of the town founder, Nathaniel Northwest, and talks about the town's history and how the Northwests have played a large part in it. She struggles greatly, her eyes shifting from one object to the next and she repeats herself a couple of times. Gideon watches as he fights through the crowd, hoping that Pacifica's parents will come in to help her. But they do not, Mr. Northwest standing stoically while Mrs. Northwest just nods in agreement with her daughter.

Eventually, Gideon is able to get to the front of the crowd, hoping to make eye contact with Pacifica. He does not whisper or say anything, not wanting to take the chance of distracting her, but hoping that she will get a glimpse of him. Once she gets near the end of her speech, her eyes suddenly grow wide and she loses her words. Gideon watches her closely, as does the rest of the crowd, wondering what she is seeing that could distract her. But then realizes her gaze is moving. Eventually, her line of sight comes to where Gideon is standing, where the two of them make eye contact.

Now that he has her attention, he gives her a reassuring smile, indicating that she is doing a good job and can do this. Pacifica blinks, her tense figure relaxing slightly. She gives a small smile, and while keeping her eyes on Gideon, finishes off the speech.

"I hope you enjoy yourself to the fullest and remember to keep your pride in your town. May Gravity Falls live long and prosper."

"Long and prosper!"

The crowd cheers the last two words, where everyone starts to disband and enjoy the multiple Pioneer Day festivities. Before he goes, Gideon gives Pacifica a thumbs up, where they both go to reunite with their parents.

"That was so sweet of you to go up there for Pacifica," Mrs. Gleeful says as Gideon walks up to her and her husband. "I hope she was able to see you were there and sense your support."

"What a brave girl she is," Mr. Gleeful adds. "You can tell how terrified she was up there. I'm impressed she was able to keep it together that well."

His eyes grow dark, watching the Northwest family walk off the stage.

"I can't believe anyone would force their daughter to do something like that. That man Preston..."

He begins to mumble, probably words that Gideon should not hear.

"Honey..."

Mrs. Gleeful puts her hand on his shoulder, in hopes to calm him down. She turns her gaze to her son.

"Gideon, why don't you go ahead and enjoy yourself. And tell Pacifica, if you see her, that we are very proud of her."

Gideon nods.

"I will, Mama. And Pacifica will be grateful for it."

"Good," she replies with a smile. "If you need me or your father, we will be at the antique store. Have fun!"

Going their separate ways, Gideon makes his way towards the stage in hopes of catching Pacifica. Bill was right, she really, _really_ does need the support. He hopes that she will be okay with him coming up to her in front of her parents, expecting any kind of reaction from them.

"Hey! Hey you, little guy!"

Coming out of nowhere, Gideon feels a large force collide with him. He falls on his side, a large body on top of him as he can feel the mud on the ground soak into his light blue jacket.

"Yay, I caught you!"

Gideon's eyes widen, realizing that a twelve year old girl is on top of him. She has a large smile on her face, laughing to herself like she has run into a long lost friend.

"Hey there, cutie," the girl continues to say in between giggles. "Can you help me and my brother out? We are trying to find something _very_ important and we need some help!"

" _Uhhhh..._ "

Gideon stares at her, terrified. He does not know what scares him more, the fact that he is tackled by a stranger or that she has strange, red colored stains on her braces and teeth.

"Well...? _Can_ you help us?"

She leans in closer to him, staring deeply into his brown eyes while waiting for a reply.

"Mabel, cut that out! You're going to get yourself kicked out if you keep doing that."

At the sound of a deep, cracking voice, the girl sits up and turns her attention towards the back.

"Okay Bro-Bro!"

She quickly gets up, running towards the side of a boy of her almost exact image. Gideon sits up, still in shock as he stares blankly at the obvious twins. The male twin sighs.

"Mabel, you need to be more careful in your actions," he criticizes. "You only just got out of therapy, I don't need you to go back again and ruin our summer here!"

The girl, Mabel, sways from side to side.

" _Sorry_ Dipper~" Her reply is in a sing-song tone of voice. "But with the way he was walking, I was afraid we wouldn't be able to catch him~"

"You could have just asked him to stop."

"Yeah, _but_ ~"

Putting her attention back onto Gideon, Mabel approaches him and gives a large, toothy smile.

"So, can you help us, little guy?"

There is a long pause, Gideon unable to do anything but stare at the sweater she is wearing. While her brother has normal clothes and a blue and white cap on, his sister has this overly large sweater on with a giant skull at its center. It has bright red streaks in the mostly black fabric, like snakes coming in and out of the skull. It is distracting, and disturbing, to say the least, Gideon forcing himself to making eye contact with her.

"S-sure," he finally answers, his voice cracking. "A-are you two new here?"

He stands up, trying to get the mud off his clothes. Mabel nods her head enthusiastically.

"Yep! Well sorta... We're here visiting our grunkle for the summer and-"

" _Mabel_! He doesn't need to know that!"

Cutting his sister off, Dipper joins them and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Look," he explains awkwardly, "just tell us where the library is and we will leave. That is all we need."

Gideon blinks, surprised by the coldness in his voice. These kids...they have some _serious_ issues. But these twins, who he has never seen before...

Is it possible that they are the twins that Pacifica had warned him about?

"...The library is this way," Gideon replies finally, pointing towards the road on the right. "It is a big white building on the right side of the street. You can't miss it. If you need any more help finding it...just feel free to find me again."

While his heart pounded in his chest, he forces himself to smile and offer his hand.

"My name is Gideon Gleeful. It is...nice to meet you!"

Dipper narrows his eyes, but before he can say anything, Mabel shoves him out of the way and takes a hold of Gideon's hand. Her grip is _very_ tight, making him flinch.

"And we're Mabel and Dipper Pines! Nice to meet you too!"

She gives a firm shake and then let's go.

"Hope to see you around, little guy!"

Grabbing her brother's arm, Mabel drags him towards the direction of the library. She is screaming and acting obnoxious, while Dipper tries to calm her down. Gideon watches them go, his face turning as white as his hair.

He...he can't believe what he has just seen, he can't believe that the Pines Twins actually...

He has to go find Pacifica and _fast_.


	7. Chapter 7

The moment she turns her back to the fading crowd, a large sense of relief washes over Pacifica. Her heart is still pounding, her throat dry and her breathing coming in fast. But it is over, the worst of it is over. She did her speech, she praised the Northwest family. Surely, this will be enough to satisfy her father, right? Pacifica walks up to her parents, meeting their gaze and hoping to find some approval from them.

"You did well for your first time, sweetheart," Mrs. Northwest says with a loving smile. "You need to improve your posture and find a way to stop stuttering, but that will come with practice. It was a great start."

"Yes... You did better than expected."

Mr. Northwest's reply is stiff and awkward, as if he does not know what exactly to say. Nor does Pacifica, not sure if her parents are criticizing or praising her. Their words are kinder than normal, but yet she can hear the longing for her to improve. Still, at least she is gaining something positive from them.

"Now that your speech is done, Pacifica," Mr. Northwest finally says as he and his family walks off stage. "I want you to go around the festival and make sure everyone is having a good time. Help the children play games, answer questions about the town's history, anything you can do to help."

"And remember to have fun yourself," Mrs. Northwest adds. "Don't spend the entire day worrying over others. Take time to yourself when you feel you need it."

She give a slight stern look at her husband, where they both make very firm eye contact. Pacifica glances between both of her parents, before finally clearing her throat and saying, "I will do my best. Call me if you need anything."

She quickly distances herself from them and speeds walks to the back of a building, where she lets out a heavy sigh. She sits down on a concrete step, careful not to get her light green dress muddy and takes a moment to compose herself. Pacifica longs to have her journal with her, having it to study while she calms down. But she shouldn't complain, since this may be the only alone time she may get today...

Suddenly, she feels something tug at her sleeve, and when she sees that no one is beside her, she looks down at the ground and spots Bill's shadow. She gives a faint smile.

"How did my speech go?" Pacifica quietly asks. "Were you able to hear me okay?"

Bill's shadow energetically dances around, indicating that he thinks she did well.

"I'm glad you liked it," she continues. "I also saw you point out Gideon in the crowd for me. I...appreciate it."

Pacifica has a feeling that Bill already knows how much seeing her friend's face helped get her through her dreaded speech, but a part of her is too embarrass to admit it fully. While also not wanting to inflate Bill's ego at the same time, as he is already overly confident.

Regardless, the spirit takes the compliment. She sees his shadow hug her head, and very faintly, Pacifica can feel his cold embrace.

"Pacifica! _Pacifica_!"

Her eyes grow wide at the sound of her name, recognizing the terrified tone in Gideon's voice. She swiftly stands up, seeing Gideon coming from the side of the building. She is shocked to see that his clothes are all dirty, as he is always good at presenting himself. His face is as pale as his hair obviously spooked by some unknown force.

What... _what_ has happened to him since she had done her speech?

Looking wildly in all directions, Gideon soon spots Pacifica and his eyes grow wide.

"Pacifica! I'm glad that you are alone!"

He runs up to her, panting heavily.

"Gideon, what's wrong?" Pacifica asks alarmed. "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"That's because I sorta did!"

He takes a moment to compose himself.

"Pacifica, I _saw_ them! Those Pines Twins you told me about last week! They're here, at the festival!"

Pacifica's eyes grow wide.

"Are you sure, Gideon?! What happened, what are they up to!?"

While she should be just as scared as Gideon is, she cannot help but feel excitement being built up. The mysterious Pines Twins are here...her curiosity is at its peak.

"One of them ran into me after your opening speech. _Literally_ ," Gideon explains with heavy breaths of air. "They were trying to find the library, saying that they were staying here for the summer with their grunkle."

"'...Grunkle?'" Pacifica raises an eyebrow. "What is that?"

Gideon shrugs.

"I have no idea. Maybe it stands for their grumpy uncle or something?"

_"Actually, it's 'great uncle.' But that's close enough."_

Making them go into a dream like state, Bill becomes fully visible to them.

"Pine Tree and Shooting Star originally came here because of some personal issues they have," he explains. "Little did their neglectful parents know that their issues will be pressed to the max this summer~"

He says it so cheerfully it is almost scary. However, Pacifica does not question it too much, at least not at the moment.

"What can you tell me about them?" she quickly asks. "What are they like? What do you mean by 'personal issues?' Do they have-"

"Whoa, relax Paz!"

Bill cuts her off before she can overload him with questions.

"I know you want answers, but you'll make me forget even faster if you over do it on the questioning!"

Pacifica's mouth hangs open, a faint blush coming to her face as she retreats within herself. She crosses her arms and avoids eye contact from either Bill or Gideon.

"Anyways," Bill continues, as if he never was interrupted. "The twins do have a journal, though the information it contains is slightly different from yours, Paz. They are dangerous with it, both being a bit _too_ power happy. Shooting Star is wild and unpredictable, and she will do whatever it takes to shock and surprise ya. Though she is the least one to worry about, all bark but barely any bite. Pine Tree, while not as physically as fit as his sister, can _really_ hold a grudge. He is very smart, smarter than most humans, and very calculating in his moves. Do _not_ make this guy mad!"

He unexpectedly pauses, seemingly confused.

"...Though I could have sworn you guys would meet them at Paz's mansion. Weird."

Pacifica raises an eyebrow.

"Why would they be at my mansion? Only people with permission are allowed in, and my family doesn't know them personally."

"I...don't know," Bill replies, his mind clearly somewhere else. "I just know that you and Pine Tree are at your mansion. And I'm _really_ against it, for some reason..."

There is a short silence, Pacifica and Gideon turning to face each other while Bill mumbles to himself.

"...So, why do you keep calling Dipper and Mabel 'Pine Tree' and 'Shooting Star?'" Gideon finally asks. "And do you know why they are going to the library?"

It takes a moment for Bill to reply.

"Err...honestly, I forgot what their names were so I just said what first came to mind to describe them. As to why they are at the library..."

There is another long pause.

"Hmm...something about there being a conspiracy? That there was a cover up about the real founder of Gravity Falls and that the Northwests have actually nothing to do with it."

" _What_?!"

It looks like Pacifica is about to explode. She goes up to Bill, almost cornering him with a look of fury in her gaze.

"What do you mean the Northwests _didn't_ find Gravity Falls?!" she demands aggressively. " _Answer_ me, Bill, or so help me I will _make_ you remember this conspiracy!"

Her rage, shock, and fear is intense, like all of her self control has been taken from her. She has been taught all her life that the Northwests have been the _everything_ of Gravity Falls. Without her family, the town would no longer exist, everything is dependent on them. So to hear some kind of conspiracy, something that Bill would not just make up for no reason...

It is hard for her not to react, to have her emotions take over.

"Pacifica, calm down!"

Gideon attempts to comfort her, but Pacifica pushes him away. She keeps her gaze firmly on the spirit, her blue gaze hard and demanding. Bill seems taken aback from Pacifica's outburst, his single eye wide and his blue tint becoming paler.

"I..."

He hesitates.

"...I c-can't remember. I almost had the answer but..."

He levitates back slightly, a lost look in his gaze. He mutters to himself, where Pacifica slowly realizes what she has done.

"I-I... Bill...I didn't mean to..."

She takes in heavy breaths of air, her whole body shaking. Gideon clears his throat, in hopes to break the rising tension.

"Well...whatever this 'conspiracy' is, we will find the truth."

He turns to face Pacifica.

"Let's head to the library and see what we can find. Hopefully the twins are still there and we can see what they do. We'll find the truth, I promise."

He puts his hand on her shoulder. Pacifica nods her head, taking a deep breath of air. She remains silent, avoiding any eye contact with either of them.

"...Thanks for the help, Bill," Gideon finally says to break the awkward silence. "We'll take it from here."

Bill nods.

"Okay, kid. I'll be watching over you two in case anything happens."

He turns his attention to Pacifica.

"And if I remember anything, I will tell you as soon as it comes to me. I won't let you down."

He then disappears in a faint blue light, Gideon and Pacifica waking up from their 'dream.' There is a short silence, Pacifica gaining some space between her and Gideon.

"Pacifica..."

"Let's go, Gideon," she says quickly enough to cut him off. "The sooner we find the Pines Twins, the better."

She starts to run towards the direction of the library, with Gideon closely following from behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Trying to look as normal as possible, Pacifica and Gideon make their way to the Gravity Falls Library with an intense speed-walk. Being Pioneer Day, the crowds are thick and pack in the streets, everyone in character to the 1860s and enjoying themselves to the many small shops and pioneer activities.

Many of the towns folk stop and say hi to them, Gideon and Pacifica being as polite as possible. Some of the people question why Gideon's clothes are all muddy, wondering if he is hurt or not. He quickly lies and explains that he has just fallen after not watching where he was going, and that he has yet to find time to change. It is a reasonable answer, and everyone accepts it.

" _Do_ you want to stop by your house so you can change clothes?" Pacifica asks when a group of people pass them. "I'll be fine on my own for a little while."

She can see that the stickiness and stiffness of his clothes makes it very uncomfortable for him. But Gideon simply smiles and shakes his head.

"I'm fine. These are my only pioneer clothes anyway and I want to keep in the spirit of things. It's fine, really."

Pacifica raises an eyebrow, not entirely convince. Just as she is about to press the subject more, from the corner of her eye, she spots someone leaving from the library. She quickly turns to see that they are a pair of brunette twins, and immediately, she figures those two are the Pines Twins.

"Is that them, Gideon?" Pacifica asks, her eyes closely following the twins' movements.

Gideon moves closer to her.

"Y-yes," he answers in a shaky voice. "They must have found what they were looking for in the library."

Even though they are a fair distance away, Pacifica and Gideon can clearly hear Mabel as she exclaims loudly, "Yay! To the museum~ To the museum we go~"

They can also hear Dipper try to keep her down, though he is not as loud as she is. They start to head north, towards the direction of the Gravity Falls Museum of History. Making sure there is a good distance between them, Pacifica and Gideon follow.

"I can see what Bill meant by them having 'personal issues,'" Pacifica comments. "What is she, a two year old?"

She watches Mabel running all over the place, dancing, skipping, and doing anything to get herself attention. It is hard to tell if she knew that this is inappropriate behavior, and is doing it anyway, or is completely oblivious and is stuck in her own little world. Either way, Pacifica feels a great dislike for her, and her brother doesn't seem any much better, with how much pride he seems to have as he walks.

Gideon nods in agreement.

"I don't know. She is the one who tackled me in the first place. Dipper said she just came out of therapy, so I'm afraid to see if what she was like before now..."

He shivers at the thought.

It does not take long for them to arrive at the history museum, which is incredibly packed. With the holiday, there is free admission to the museum, which makes getting in seem easy. But the difficult part will be keeping track with Dipper and Mabel, for they could all be easily lost within the crowd. The twins enter first, both receiving a balloon from the free event. They quickly go inside, Dipper complaining about there being so many people while Mabel is having the time of her life. Pacifica and Gideon enter next, Pacifica refusing to take a balloon while Gideon takes his pink one with a small smile.

The museum is pack, but not too pack to where it is impossible to move around. Interestingly enough, the twins do not go far into the museum, stopping in front of an abstract sculpture. It is of a stone triangle with many lines carved into it, not really having any significant meaning to it. Dipper stands straight in front of it, studying it carefully, while Mabel sits on a bench and sings to herself. Pacifica watches behind a wall, being careful not be seen as Gideon does the same.

From his jacket, Dipper takes out a book with a maroon cover. She can only see the corner of it, but Pacifica has no doubt that it is one of the journals. She tightly grips the edge of the wall, her eyes wide. What is he looking at? Is it about the Northwest Conspiracy, or how to find out more about it? She is desperate for answers, and it kills her inside not to just walk up to him and demand for them. Many theories go through her mind, trying to explain what this conspiracy could mean, when suddenly, she hears a loud cry from Mabel.

The crazy girl is sitting upside down on the bench, pointing at the sculpture like she has solved an extremely hard math problem. Dipper gives his sister a strange look, but then slowly turns back around and cocks his head to the side. He gasps, claiming that Mabel is a genius and forces her to get up. They then quickly head for the exit, Pacifica and Gideon taking cover as the twins dash right pass them.

"What was that about?" Gideon asks puzzled. "I couldn't tell what they were looking at."

"I don't know," Pacifica replies, seeing the twins fade into the crowd. "But I do know I saw Dipper with a journal just like mine. Come on!"

Grabbing Gideon tightly by the wrist, she rushes out of the museum in an effort to catch up with the twins.

"Pacifica, slow down!" Gideon cries, dragging his feet to help prevent them from running into people.

However, it is clear Pacifica does not care, her eyes glaring right in front of her in a desperate search for the Pines Twins. They come running out of the museum and out of the crowd. Pacifica stops where she is, searching wildly in all directions for any hint of the twins. But they are gone from view, no trace of them with so many people scattered all over the place. Gideon pants heavily beside her, claiming her to be crazy.

"...Seriously, Pacifica. You really need to calm down about this." He takes a moment to catch his breath. "I know that what Bill said upset you, but you can't get worked up like this. At this rate, we could accidentally run into someone and get them hurt or..."

He cuts himself off. Pacifica blinks, noticing that his brown eyes seem distant.

"Gideon...?"

She snaps her fingers in front of his face, to where eventually he snaps out of his trance. He blinks a couple of times, getting the sleep out of his eyes before looking up at her.

"Bill just told me where the twins are heading," Gideon explains. "They are heading for the...graveyard. Towards an angel statue."

Pacifica raises an eyebrow. "An angel statute?"

Out of all the places she has been to in Gravity Falls, living here her whole life, she has never been to the local cemetery. She has never had anyone close to her die before, and it always makes her feel uneasy to be in an area with so much death.

Gideon nods his head.

"Yep. Bill's shadow will show us the way."

Looking down on the ground in front of them, they can see Bill's silhouette appear in between their shadows. Seeing that he has both of their attentions, Bill flies off towards the direction of the graveyard, Pacifica and Gideon follow close behind. Going through crowds of people is difficult, but from where the museum is, it does not take long for them to reach the cemetery. The steel gates are already wide open, indicating that someone has already went inside. Pacifica and Gideon stand in front of the gate, a small hint of hesitation from both of them as Bill's shadow goes inside. They turn to each other, sensing the other's uneasiness.

"...I guess we had to expect coming here at some point," Gideon says with a weak smile. "After all, where is the best place to store long lost town secrets? With its past people."

Pacifica nods her head slowly.

"Y-Yeah. And let's...not waste any time."

Once again they both stare at the gate. A moment passes, before they start to take a step into the graveyard.

"Whataya kids think you're doing?"

Icy cold hands touch both Gideon and Pacifica's shoulders. They both scream and jerk away, Gideon looking like he is about to have a heart attack while Pacifica prepares herself for some kind of attack. They both tense up, seeing that the person who spooked them is the crazy, half dressed Old Man McGucket. Cautiously, Pacifica grabs Gideon and pulls him behind her, keeping her cold eyes on the old man. McGucket's eyes move wildly between the two of them, an unnatural look in his dark gaze.

"You kids shouldn't be here," he says. "Cemeteries aren't safe, even in the light."

He takes a moment to study them again, though it is hard to tell what he is looking for exactly. Pacifica narrows her eyes, not sure how to reply, afraid that saying the wrong thing could set the old man off. Gideon clears his throat.

"We're...looking for someone. We think they might have accidentally came in here."

He steps forward, trying to appear as innocent and polite as possible. McGucket blinks, but before he can question anything, Gideon continues.

"We have some new friends here in Gravity Falls and we told them to...meet us at one of the local parks. Me and Pacifica waited there for awhile, and when they didn't come, we think they might have gotten lost here. There is a park here in the cemetery, after all."

His smile grows. There is a small silence, McGucket's expression still firm and stoic. Pacifica fears for the worse, again getting Gideon behind her and taking a step back. McGucket does not react to it, however the look in his eye makes a chill go down her spine. A look of paranoia, a look of fear and survival instinct taking over.

"No... No, people _don't_ just 'get lost' in a cemetery!"

He starts to approach them, like he is ready to attack them. Gideon and Pacifica try to make sure the same amount of space stays between them, but the old man presses on. McGucket rambles on, mentioning something about the undead and other creatures that make their home in cemeteries. Unexpectedly, in the middle of his rant, he stops where he is, his eyes giving a blank stare. Pacifica and Gideon watch, stiff and tense.

"N-no... _No_!"

With his dark eyes growing wide with terror, McGucket turns around and runs off. He cries and screams like a rabid dog, dashing towards the safety of the town. It does not take long for him to disappear completely from view, Pacifica feeling her heart rate go back to normal.

"What...what just happened?" Gideon asks, mostly as a rhetorical question. "For a second there, I really thought he was going to attack us!"

"Me too," Pacifica replies.

She pauses, thinking about what McGucket said about the undead and how even in the light the cemetery is not safe. Is that the ramblings of a man long past his prime or is there some meaning behind it? Pacifica reminds herself that she will need to look this up in her journal later. But for now...

"Pacifica! Bill has found the statue!"

Shaking herself out her thoughts, she turns around to see that Gideon has already went ahead. Picking up her skirt, she runs after him, seeing that he is standing in front of a statue of an angel pointing towards the right. On the white marble statue, she can see Bill's shadow, him gesturing to the statue's pointing hand. Pacifica blinks while Gideon circles the statue to see if he can find any secrets.

"I don't see anything unusual about this statue..."

She keeps her eyes on the pointer finger, Bill showing some keen interest in it.

"...Is there something we need to trigger, Bill?"

In reply, Bill's silhouette floats back and gives what looks like a nod. Pacifica comes closer to the statue. It is fairly tall, especially with it being set on a large pillar. The pointing hand is far too high for Pacifica to reach by herself, even on her tippy-toes, as she stretches as far as she can. She grunts.

"Grr...crap. It's far too high."

Seeing what she is doing, Gideon comes to her side.

"Hmm," he murmurs, analyzing what Pacifica is trying to do. "...Maybe if you can lift me high enough, like I stand on your back or something, I can reach it. If there is going to be a trigger to unlock a secret door or something, that pointer finger may be the key."

It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.

"...Okay. Though I can only hold you for a short time."

She gets down on all fours right below the pointing hand, having Gideon climb onto her back. He has taken his shoes off, so the only thing that is hurting her is Gideon's weight. She takes in deep breaths of air, her arms and legs shaking as she struggles to keep him up.

"...D-do you almost have it?" Pacifica asks, her voice shaking.

Gideon stretches as much as he can, him being barely able to reach the pointer finger.

"...Almost..."

He grabs the pointer finger, and at that same moment, Pacifica's back gives in and she falls flat on her stomach. Gideon tries to hold onto the statue, however gravity pulls him back to the ground. The finger breaks off as he falls, him landing right on top of her. Right beside them, a hidden door unlocks itself upon the finger breaking off, the door sliding underneath the statue to reveal a stone stairway going down. Both Pacifica and Gideon stare at this, their eyes wide with awe.

"Wow," Gideon says in amazement. "It's just like something you would see in the movies..."

Pacifica grunts, immediately pushing him off of her and getting onto her feet.

"Ow... For a little guy, you sure are heavy!" she exclaims. "Seriously, how much do you weigh?!"

Gideon's chubby face turns a faint shade of red.

"Err...sorry, Pacifica."

She sighs in reply, her eyes now on the trap door.

"Come on. Who knows if the Pines Twins are already down there."

With no hesitation, she goes inside. Gideon delays himself before following, taking a moment to see if it is safe to go down there. But Pacifica does not wait for him, already being too engrossed with the mystery to care. It does not take long for Gideon to catch up, careful as he takes each dusty step. They are going deep underground, the air around them being very moist and cold compared to the hot and dry summer air. The further they go down, the harder it gets to see in the pure darkness, almost to the point Pacifica can't see her own feet.

"Do you think there is a torch further down?" Gideon questions, feeling the walls. "I didn't see one at the entrance."

"It would have been stupid for the person who made this not to include one," Pacifica answers. "They would need to include one in order to- _ack_!"

She cuts herself by almost tripping over the last step, it being extremely uneven compared to the others. Gideon almost crashes into her, but he is able to stop himself at the last minute.

"Are you okay?"

Pacifica takes a second to stabilize herself.

"...Yeah. I'm fine. Just watch your step."

She moves to the side, hearing Gideon taking a careful step down.

"So...now what do we do?" he asks. "We got passed the stairs, but there's gotta be some kind of trap down here."

"I agree," Pacifica adds, squinting her eyes in some hopes of being able to see. "Maybe if we keep near the walls we shall be fine..."

She moves to the side so that Gideon can get right next to her. They are about to continue onward, when in the far distance, Pacifica can see a faint light illuminating further down. It starts out as a faint blue light, but then morphs into a red orange flame. Another flame comes up, a little closer and on the opposite wall. And then another, and then another...

Finally, the entire hallway is lit up. Pacifica's eyes widen and Gideon gasps, seeing that there parts of the stone flooring that are uneven and clearly stand out.

"...Floor triggers," Pacifica whispers, seeing that the uneven tiles are scattered all over the way. "We need to be careful. Or we might..."

She can see little holes in the wall, meant to hold darts and shoot them once the trap is triggered. She can feel a cold feeling wash over her, knowing that one wrong move could put her or Gideon in danger. Though the flames gave limited light, she can see Bill's figure on the floor before them.

"...Gideon, follow me very closely," Pacifica orders, her eyes on Bill. "Step only on the places I step on and don't go any other way."

She can hear Gideon's breathing grow heavier, but he says nothing against it. Having Bill's shadow go a step ahead, Pacifica follows, stepping in the exact same place his shadow once was. They do this the entire way through, Pacifica and Gideon holding in their breath they only focus on their next step. After what seems like a century, they finally come across safely. Gideon lets out a heavy sigh of relief, leaning against the wall and taking a moment to compose himself.

"...Gosh! That was scary."

Pacifica nods in agreement, her body becoming less tense. She sees that Bill's silhouette is right next to hers where she gives a weak smile as thanks.

Looking towards her left, a faint amount of sunlight catches Pacifica's eye. Her eyes grow wide, slowly approaching a small room filled with dusty documents and ancient artifacts. The smell of mold and dust swirls pass her nostrils, indicating that no one has been in the room for many, many years. She comes across a dusty wooden desk, one that looks like it was made in the mid 1800s. She touches it gingerly, lifting up the dust and staring at it carefully.

"...Gideon, are you seeing this?" Pacifica asks in awe. "I think...we've just made our made our first major discovery."

She hears Gideon enter the room and gasping at the sight.

"Oh my..."

Pacifica is too much in trance to really pay attention to what Gideon is doing, opening the handcrafted desk's drawer to see if she can find anything else.

_"What's this?"_

Feeling a lightheadedness come to her, Pacifica leans forward against the desk and Bill because visible to her. He stares curiously inside it, his blue tint somewhat darker.

"I..."

His words trail off.

"...I think that is something important."

Taking his word, Pacifica reaches inside the desk and feels something leathery touch her finger tips. She takes a hold of the object, pulling it out carefully. Both she and Bill study it; seeing that what she picked up is a very old journal of some kind, with a faded leathery cover and aging yellow paper. Pacifica opens the journal, seeing it is filled with sketches and drawings, all of the Gravity Falls wilderness.

"Wow...these drawings are really good."

She is impressed by the incredible detail that is put into the drawings, even recognizing some of the landmarks. This sketchbook could be worth a fortune, a valuable piece of history.

"...I think you should keep a hold of that, Paz," Bill says. "I think it may become important later on."

Pacifica blinks, noticing his dazed look.

"...You okay?" she asks, concerned.

Bill takes a moment to reply, gently moving his finger against the open page.

"...I feel like I'm trying to remember something," he finally confesses. "But...something...is blocking..."

He stops in mid sentence. With his blue glow becoming lighter, he takes out his cane and starts to mess with it.

"Oh well! I'll remember it eventually."

He gives a cheerful look towards Pacifica.

"Just make sure to take it with you, okay? I think you'll like it very much!"

"I..." Pacifica hesitates. "...All right. I'll do that, Bill..."

She avoids eye contact, feeling the words get caught in her throat. Bill lets out a heavy sigh.

"Really? You're still thinking about earlier? _Come on_ , Paz, that was an hour ago!"

He hugs her head, Pacifica stiffening.

"I know you didn't mean it and I forgave you, like, five minutes after it happened. And you should forgive yourself too. No one is perfect, and really, I could have given the news to ya _a lot_ better."

Bill hugs her tighter.

"So, we're good?"

Pacifica tries to meet his gaze. A part of her feels amazed that he can forgive her so quickly for practically _threatening_ him and making it seem like it is no big deal. It is just like Gideon, how he can find sympathy for the worse of people. She can't understand this type of thinking, to be so open and forgiving. But it is very admirable to her as well.

"...Yeah, we're cool," Pacifica finally says with a small smile. "And I-"

_"Pacifica you've gotta see this!"_

Taking her out of Bill's trance, Pacifica becomes fully awake, shaking her head to get her thoughts straight. She notices that she still has the sketchbook in her hands, holding it close to her chest as she turns to find Gideon.

"What is it, Gideon? What did you find?"

She sees that Gideon is standing on the other side of the room, staring down at a large newspaper article.

"Pacifica, you need to read this," he says in a small voice. "It...might answer your questions about that conspiracy."

He moves to the side, where Pacifica has enough room to see. Holding onto the sketchbook tighter, she walks up to it. She is shocked to see sketches of what looks like her great, great grandfather, two of them right next to the text of the article.

The one on the top looks like the many paintings she has seen of her ancestors, a rough looking man with a long dark hair and beard. He appears dignified, high class, everything that makes a Northwest. The second sketch right below it is of Nathaniel Northwest again, but this one portrays him as an older man with untamed hair and beard with large wrinkles and circles under his eyes. There is a crazed look in his drawing's eyes, a cross eyed look with a grin that does not look natural. Pacifica stares at the two sketches, her eyes moving between the two and comparing them.

"This...this doesn't make any sense," she says, mostly to herself. "According to this article, it says that Nathaniel Northwest was some kind of loon. A man so out of his mind that he couldn't lead a heard of mindless sheep."

Her heart skips a beat as she reads out loud one of the paragraphs.

"'Let it be here recorded that Nathaniel Northwest, one of the famous first people to settle Gravity Falls, has completely lost himself to madness just like almost all of the founding families. It is unknown what has caused this, but the once overly proud, high standing man now speaks in a series of grunts and screams; often now yelling his trademark phrase: 'I am going to eat this entire oak tree because I am a powerful wizard!' He has often labeled himself as the founder of Gravity Falls, but even before his madness, it is misleading. The _real_ founder disappeared months after the town was discovered, and is known as Sir Lord Quentin Trembley III, who Northwest... _stole_ the glory from...'"

There is a long silence, Pacifica's legs shaking as she rereads that paragraph over and over again.

This...this couldn't be true! There is nothing in her family records that suggest her great, great grandfather had gone mad, and is a fraud no less! How can this be possible? How can a piece of history this important have been lost for so long?

"'...Sir Lord Quentin Trembley...'"

Gideon takes a moment to think.

"...I've never heard of that name before. I wonder who this guy is?"

"That's what we would like to know too."

Pacifica and Gideon freeze. They slowly turn around, coming face to face with the brown gazes of Dipper and Mabel Pines.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey Bro-Bro, looks like you were right!" Mabel exclaims with a wide grin. "We _were_ being followed! And one of them is cute little Gideon! Hi again, little guy!"

She waves at Gideon, an unstable look in her large dark brown eyes. Her gaze meets Gideon's, making a _strong_ icy chill go down his spine. He does not remove eye contact from Mabel, but he does not respond to her either, afraid that she could be set off by anything. Dipper narrows his eyes.

"I had a feeling that sooner or later someone would start following us," he says, his tone dark. "A town with this many secrets has bound to have guardians."

He takes a single step closer to Gideon and Pacifica.

"Though I admit, I'm surprised to see who the 'guardians' are."

"What do you want?!" Pacifica tenses up, handing the sketchbook to Gideon and approaches Dipper. "Are you here to learn more about the Northwest Conspiracy? If you are, you'll have to get through me!"

Dipper crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, looking somewhat confused as to why Pacifica is getting so defensive. Gideon and Mabel watch closely, Gideon wondering if he should intervene while Mabel's stare moves between the three of them. Tension rises with each passing second, making the tiny room that contained the four of them seem tinier and tinier.

"Me and my sister are just trying to solve the secrets in this town, nothing more," Dipper finally replies, choosing his words carefully. "Though I guess I can understand why you would be so concerned about it, being a Northwest yourself."

Pacifica glares at him coldly.

"What is that suppose to mean?!"

"It means that your family has strong ties to this town, especially with this conspiracy."

His gaze drifts over to Gideon and the sketchbook.

"...What's in the book?" Dipper asks. "Does it contain any secrets about the conspiracy?"

There is a very cold look in his eyes, a hunger for knowledge in them. Gideon flinches slightly, holding onto the sketchbook tighter. He does not know what this is, but if Pacifica handed it to him, he senses it must be important. He stands his ground, seeing Bill's shadow come closer to his side.

"Would you like to know? After having one of the six fingered journals, you would want to get your hands on another book full of secrets!"

Gideon's heart stops. There is a long silence, everyone's eyes on Pacifica. She keeps her intense gaze on Dipper, who's face has paled with shock.

"H-how...?"

"Whoa, plot twist!" Mabel exclaims. "I think you may have damaged my little bro's ego there!"

She twirls to her brother's side.

"So you must have a journal like Dipper's, right? Are you trying to figure out Gravity Falls' secrets too?"

Pacifica crosses her arms and glares.

"Would it matter? You two still never said what you wanted."

"What about you? What do _you two_ want?" Mabel questions back, sounding passive aggressive. "Everyone wants something, so stop looking at us like we're the villains!"

She starts to shake, tensing up like she is ready to pounce onto Pacifica. However, before she can do anything, Dipper places his arm in front of Mabel, blocking her path.

"...So, it looks like we're not the only ones looking for the truth. Ones that will stand in our way if we let them..."

An unnatural dark look fades into his gaze, like all the warmth has vanished from his being.

"...I won't let you stop me from uncovering the mysteries of this town. Mabel, grab her journal!"

Dipper releases her, allowing Mabel to come straight at Pacifica. She tries to jump her, but Pacifica dodges just at the right moment. Mabel crashes into the desk with the Northwest Conspiracy article on it, Gideon screaming in response. But like it did nothing to her, like she feels no pain from the crash, Mabel quickly gets back onto her feet and jumps Pacifica again. As she is laughing like a maniac, Pacifica is not prepared to avoid her, having Mabel land right on top of her. She tries to push her off, but Mabel and Pacifica's strengths are equally matched, wrestling to try and dominate the other. Gideon watches in horror, but as soon as he tries to come and help Pacifica, Dipper gets in front of him and blocks his path.

"Gimme that journal!"

He attempts to snatch the sketchbook from Gideon's arms, however Gideon is able to get out of the way. He makes sure to keep himself facing Dipper, feeling himself about to be cornered. And with Pacifica being occupied with Mabel...

Both of them are trapped.

_"Run, kid!"_ Bill's voice suddenly exclaimed. _"Run to the dart trapped with the sketchbook in hand!"_

Run away?

Gideon fought to not get sucked into a dream world, feeling his back hit one of the tables. Dipper comes up to him.

"Come on, little guy," he says, lacking of any apathy. "Hand me that journal and then this can be all over with."

It is surprising that he is even hesitating, as Gideon can see he is willing to do whatever it takes to unlock Gravity Falls' secrets. What is written in these journals to make both Dipper and Pacifica so determine to find out these 'truths?' Up until this point, he has never taken these supposed 'mysteries' seriously. But from seeing Pacifica become obsessed with them to witnessing the wrath of the Pines Twins, all in attempt to make sure they succeed...

_"Uh, Gid, this_ isn't _the time to go all Theorizing Paz on me!"_

He feels a strong tug on his sleeves.

_"I know you are skeptical, but if you don't trust me now, you and Paz are both going to be screwed!"_

Bill's voice cracks with desperation and urgency.

_"_ Please _, kid! Just trust me!"_

"I'll give you the count of three to give it to me."

Dipper holds out his hand, offering Gideon one more chance to cooperate. Gideon stares at him, his mind racing a mile a minute.

"One..." Dipper begins to sound impatient. "...Two..."

It is now or never.

"...Three!"

Just as he reaches the final countdown, Gideon charges to the side and makes a run for it to the exit. Dipper curses, chasing after him.

"There is nowhere for you to go!" he calls out. "You can't hope to escape with a trap to get in the way!"

And he is right, for as soon as Gideon comes face to face with the darts trap again, he halts. He pants heavily, trying to quickly find the stable steps as he makes his way across.

_"Go to the middle of the trap,"_ Bill instructs quickly. _"Once there, grab the nearest torch and throw it to the ground."_

As he talks, Gideon can hear Dipper trying to catch up, cursing and taking a moment to know which step to take.

_"Don't hesitate or it will not work! Once you've done that, use your short legs to get you outta here! Don't worry about Paz, I will get her out. But for it to work, you've gotta do this!"_

None of the instructions Bill is giving him make much sense. But this is probably the only time Gideon has ever heard him sound sure of himself. And if he doesn't act fast...

Coming to the center of the trap, Gideon halts and grabs the nearest torch. Dipper is right behind him, and he stops when he sees that Gideon is stop.

"Wait, what are you...?"

Not wanting to take the chance of second guessing himself, Gideon swiftly grabs the nearest torch and drops it beside his feet.

"What the!?"

Dipper flinches back, seeing as the moment the fire into the cracks in the stone, intense flames began to burst from them. Something has caught fire within the cracks, and it is spreading at a lightening like pace. Both Gideon and Dipper avoid the flames, Gideon going back to the entrance while Dipper towards the hidden room. Once he is safe, Gideon turns around to see that the flames have ignited form a triangular shape with a circle in the center, the wood of the fallen torch acting as a pupil to an eye. But the fire does not stop at the darts trap, as it goes through the cracks between the walls and the floor. It is heading straight to the treasure room, where Mabel and Pacifica are still fighting.

Dipper's eyes grow wide, running back into the room screaming his sister's name. Fear rises in Gideon's chest, wanting nothing more than to run back and get Pacifica. But he can't, the fire blocks his path, and with a heavy heart, turns around and runs back outside. The moist and cold air burns as the heat increase, making the outside summer air feel cool in comparison.

Once outside, Gideon falls to his knees, panting heavily. He drops the sketchbook, which he miraculously has kept the entire time, having it unscathed. From the corner of his eye, he can see that the trapdoor is closing behind him, indicating that the fire had been another trap of some kind. He can feel his heart pound his chest, trying to fight back tears as he fears if Pacifica is still trapped inside. He gets up, turning to face the angel statue.

"...Bill," Gideon says out loud, hoping the demon can hear him, "is Pacifica all right? Please tell me you can get her out!"

Not only does he fears for his friends life, but the Pines Twins' as well. He hopes that they are not trapped or hurt either. Gideon picks up the sketchbook, waiting anxiously for Bill's reply. But one does not come, only a faint wind blowing pass him.

"Bill! Bill, please answer me!"

He is about to go into panic mode, not knowing how he will be able to deal with knowing that...

Suddenly, he can smell the faint stench of smoke and burning wood, coming from the northwest. His eyes widen, quickly following the smell till he comes up to a small mausoleum. It is not far from the angel statue, about the same distance as the hidden room had been, seeing the smoke seep its way through the white marble door. Using all of his strength, he attempts to open the mausoleum up, the door being extremely heavy and hard to get a grasp on. He pulls and pulls, where it slowly opens.

And then it became unexpectedly easier, as when the opening became big enough, a large amount of smoke hits Gideon straight in the face. He moves back and coughs, where he then feels someone grab his wrist.

"Gideon!"

It is Pacifica's voice, and before he knows it, he is being pulled away from the mausoleum. Gideon opens his eyes, seeing that is running with all her might out of the cemetery.

"...P-Pacifica!"

He has inhaled some of the smoke, making it difficult to speak. Pacifica does not answer him, seemingly desperate to get out of the graveyard. They run into the dense crowds, Pacifica yelling for people to get out of the way till finally, they are able to get out of the crowded area and take refuge in the forest.

Once they are completely alone, Pacifica lets go of Gideon and collapses onto her side, taking in deep breaths of air. Gideon falls down beside her, setting the sketchbook, again, by a miracle he still has, on a nearby rock. The two friends lay where they are for a long moment, allowing themselves to calm down from their near death experience. Eventually, Pacifica sits up and leans against the same tree Gideon is. The two of them look at each other.

"...S-so, how did you escape?" Gideon finally asks. "I thought you would have been trapped by the fire."

"So did I," Pacifica replies. "But before the fire could come in, Bill came to me and helped me find this secret passageway. I was able to go through it just in time and escape."

She gives a small pause.

"Along with the Pines Twins."

There is a short pause, Gideon feeling partly relieved that Dipper and Mabel were able to get out of there alive. However, another part of him worries what will happen next, now that the twins are seemingly after them, from what Dipper had said.

"...Why did you have to pick a fight with them, Pacifica?" Gideon questions with a small hint of anger. "We both knew they were going to be dangerous, yet you just _told_ them that you had a journal like theirs!"

"...Yeah, that was pretty dumb of me."

Pacifica lets out a heavy sigh, her eyes gazing lazily at the tree tops.

"But I was desperate for answers. After reading that article about my great, great grandfather..."

She loses her words.

There is a long silence between them, Gideon feeling sympathy for Pacifica and what they learned about her ancestor. Though now they no longer have any proof of the conspiracy, now that it has burned away with everything else in that room. The only artifact that survived is the sketchbook, Gideon taking a hold of it to find out what it truly is.

"...On the bright side, we got this old sketchbook," he says, trying to sound positive. "I'm sure we can discover more secrets with it. Hopefully less dangerous ones."

Pacifica turns to face Gideon, one of her eyebrows raised.

"Wait... _when_ did you get so interested in the mysteries?"

She gives him a gentle poke.

" _Who_ are you and what have you done with Gideon?"

Gideon laughs.

"I still think that we may be going over our heads with this, but you've gotta admit that was fun," he confesses. "I mean, now that the danger has passed, and remembering all that history we were seeing..."

It still makes him speechless, recalling how he entered the hidden room and the enchantment to seeing all that lost history of his hometown. He hates to admit it, but it makes him feel excited for what other lost pieces that there could be, with the so many unanswered questions just waiting to be explained... For once, he truly gets Pacifica's fascination with this kind of stuff.

Pacifica gives a faint smile.

"Yeah, and that's why we need to make sure we keep Dipper and Mabel as far away from those secrets as possible. It is up to us to protect them, to protect our town..."

She offers Gideon her hand, like she is about to make some sort of vow with him.

"From this day forth," Pacifica declares, "we will become the Mystery Trio! You, me, and Bill. Partners in crime who swear to discover and protect all of Gravity Falls' secrets. With the three of us working together, nothing can stop us as we vow to take down the Pines Twins!"

When she refers to him, Bill's shadow moves closer to them. Even with learning the maybe ugly truth of her family's past, there is a determine look in Pacifica's gaze, a new fire that will not fade away easily. And even though Gideon's gut is telling him that this will be dangerous, that he and his best friend may be risking their lives once again, he feels less fearful about it. Excitement and adventure come at a price, and after experiencing that rush of adrenaline...

"...Though let me ask this," Gideon finally says, "why 'partners in crime?' Are we planning to break the law or something?"

It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.

"...I don't know, but 'partners in crime' just sounded cool." She gives a sheepish smile. "I was just so into the moment I had to say it."

"Sure you were, Pacifica. And still are."

Playfully, Gideon rolls his eyes and smiles.

"But that's more of a reason for me to join you in your crazy schemes."

He takes a hold of her hand and shakes it, feeling colder air on his and Pacifica's hands with Bill's hand silhouette on top of theirs. The three of them all look at each other, as if knowing deep down they have made the partnership of a lifetime.

* * *

For the rest of Pioneer Day, Pacifica and Gideon stick to each other like glue, watching each others' back in case the Pines Twins are to come back to get revenge. There is no telling what the twins could do, now escaping from that near death experience. While neither Pacifica, Gideon, or even Bill, saw them during the rest of the event, it does not hurt to be a tad cautious. While they are together, Gideon and Pacifica took part in a lot of the Pioneer Day activates, helping the little kids play games and just having a good time. However, they did take a few breaks to get away from everyone, as they are extremely tired. They also took this time to talk to Bill as he...became _very_ on edge after what happened in the cemetery.

While he could remember Pacifica and Gideon had survived some kind of danger, he couldn't recall anything that happened or the fact it was because of him that they escaped at all. He became very protective of them and his shadow would act concern even when one of them just seemed a little fatigued. The event had shaken him up greatly, but slowly he calmed down throughout the day, his memory slowly becoming consistent again.

When sunset came, it is time for the festival to end. Gideon and Pacifica walk over to the antique store, where Gideon's parents are waiting for him.

"Ah, Pacifica and my Lil Gideon!" Mrs. Gleeful says with a large smile, seeing them approach. "Did you two have a good day?"

Her eyes, along with her husband's, grow wide when they see how dirty their clothes are. Mr. Gleeful laughs.

" _My_ , did you two get into the spirit of things! Your parents won't be too harsh on you for getting your clothes dirty, will they, Pacifica?"

Pacifica shrugs her shoulders, holding the sketchbook close to her chest.

"They might get a little mad, but I'm not worried about it," she replies. "With all the dirt and mud around, it wouldn't be much of a surprise."

Mr. Gleeful nods his head, though there is a dark look in his gaze.

"It is, which is why I hope your parents are able to see that."

" _Honey_..."

Mrs. Gleeful puts her hand on his shoulder, letting out a small cough.

"Well, we should be going," she says with a hoarse voice. "Have a good night, Pacifica."

The Gleefuls then turn to head their way home. Before he goes and joins his parents, Gideon gives Pacifica a quick hug.

"I'll see you sometime tomorrow. I have a show tomorrow at noon, so if you can come to it, please do!"

Pacifica nods in reply.

"I'll try, and if not, I'll call when I want to hang out."

She waves goodbye.

"Sleep well, Gideon. We _both_ need it after today."

Gideon laughs in reply, where they then turn to go their separate ways. Now that he is gone, Pacifica feels exhaustion being swept over her, sensing the cold presence of Bill riding on top of her head. She wishes she can just fall on top of her bed right now and fall asleep, however, she needs to go see her parents first and then take the drive home.

It is no surprise that they are right by the stage, where Pacifica slowly approaches them. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't _want_ to say anything, but she makes eye contact with her parents. Mrs. Northwest turns to face her daughter, but upon sight of her dirty and ripped skirt, she gasps.

" _Pacifica_! _What_ did you do to your clothes?!" She leans down and takes a hold of the skirt, seeing the destruction. "Do you have any idea how much this costs? How could you be this careless?"

"...I know," Pacifica replies, clearly not in a caring mood. "I just got a bit dirty while playing with the kids. That's what you wanted me to do, right? Help people enjoy the festival?"

"...True. And that you did."

Mr. Northwest comes to his daughter's side, Mrs. Northwest standing straight back up and taking a step back.

"I saw you going around and helping out," he says. "I am pleased in what you did. And I also...noticed that you had a young boy with you the entire time."

Pacifica feels her face grow pale, her eyes wide. She has completely forgotten that her parents could have seen her with Gideon, only worrying about the Pines Twins at the time. She feels her heart grow heavy, knowing she can't hide this.

"...His name is Gideon. He is my friend."

She waits to hear her parents' disapproval, that Gideon is not good enough for her and that she had to break off her friendship with him, all for the sake of image...

"...I am pleased to see you have found a friend, Pacifica."

Pacifica blinks.

...What? _What_ did her father just say?!

She stares at him with big eyes, her mother too as she also seems pleased.

"He seems like a good young man," Mrs. Northwest adds with a smile. "He also seems to have a taste in style too, even if he clothes were as filthy as yours."

"Yes...but that is beside the point."

Mr. Northwest makes firm eye contact with Pacifica.

"We approve of your choice in a friend and we encourage you to spend time with him and any other friends you two may have. He can come over, while it is still summer, any time. Anything to keep you from..."

Much to Pacifica's dismay, her father grabs and takes away the sketchbook. He gives it a dark look.

"...spending all your time locked up in your room. _Reading_."

Pacifica clutches her fists.

"What's the big deal if I do a lot of reading?!" she demands angrily. "Aren't parents usually thrilled when their child likes to read?"

"Of course, sweetheart..."

Taking back the sketchbook, Mrs. Northwest glares at her husband for a short second and hands it back to her daughter.

"It is just we think you should get out and socialize more. This means less time by yourself, the forest or your room, and more time with other people." She pulls her Pacifica's blonde hair back. "We're just worried about you, that's all. You've had it rough for the past few months at school and at home. Right, Preston?"

"...Y-yes. And right now, it is getting late."

Like he is afraid something is about to leap at him and his family, Mr. Northwest puts his arms around both his wife and daughter, walking them to the limo that now waited for them. Before putting his arm around Pacifica, he had moved his hand over his head, as if sweeping something away. Pacifica finds it odd, looking down at her fading shadow to see Bill is now flying beside her instead of riding on top of her head.

But she does not question it, as it probably isn't a big deal. And in her tired state makes it hard to think long.

She feels her eyelids grow heavy, and as soon as she gets seated in the limo, she leans back and closes her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

"So we go from exploring a long lost chamber full of great, epic secrets...to going on a wild goose chase for gnomes. I repeat: for _gnomes_."

Gideon lets out a heavy groan as he and Pacifica walk through the forest on the very far outskirts of town, Bill's shadow following close behind them. They have been walking for hours, Pacifica constantly stopping to check both the journal and sketchbook. Coming to another sudden stop, she opens up the sketchbook, her eyes studying every little detail on the drawing she is looking at.

"If I remember right, _you_ were the one who wanted to do something less dangerous," Pacifica replies, taking note to Gideon's whiny tone of voice. "And not only are they less dangerous, but we would be discovering technically a new species of animal!"

Gideon blinks. "Gnomes are animals now?"

"Well, they aren't exactly human, are they?"

"Err...no, but they aren't animals either."

"Then what are they?"

"I don't know, Pacifica! Because they're _gnomes_! Something as ridiculous as gnomes don't exist!"

"And yet spirits like Bill do?"

Gideon shuts himself up, Pacifica giving him a satisfied smirk.

She _does_ have a point. If Bill, a demon triangle who can only be seen in dreams, is real, then why not little men with pointing hats that were only meant to be garden decorations? From what he has experienced in the last week and half, he should come to the conclusion that _anything_ is possible. But still...

"Where exactly are we going anyway?" Gideon finally says with a sigh. "You never told me any of the details other than, 'Gideon, we're going to find the gnomes! Follow me~'"

He does a poor attempt to mimic Pacifica's voice, in which she just rolls her eyes.

"Hey, if I told you right away my plan we would have been arguing all day. Like we are now," she explains.

Coming next to Gideon, she shows him the sketchbook a points towards the middle of it. He takes a moment to study it, seeing that it is a charcoal sketch of a thick forest landscape, similar to the one they are in now. It is incredibly detailed, from the leaves to the bark in each of the trees, showing that a lot of work has gone into it. From where Pacifica is pointing, behind one of the trees, there is a sketch of what looks like a tiny man with a pointy hat and beard. It is very small, so it is very hard to tell, but Gideon has no doubt that it is suppose to be the image of a gnome.

"See it?" Pacifica says, referring to the little gnome sketch. "This drawing looks very similar to what the gnomes look like when I was kidnapped. And it also confirms that they like to live in thick forest areas, similar to what the journal says."

She quickly puts up the sketchbook and replaces it with the journal, opening to a bookmarked page that talks about gnomes.

"It doesn't say much about them, but the author does describe them being in thick wooded areas, avoiding human contact at all cost."

She closes the book, a thoughtful look in her gaze.

"Which is strange, considering they had no problems talking to me..."

She becomes lost in thought, Gideon sighing as he watches his friend become lost in her theories. He looks down at Bill's shadow, and while he couldn't see his facial response, they both knew this is going to take awhile. Pacifica starts muttering to herself, now taking out her a notebook a pen and writing down her thoughts. While she does that, Gideon takes the moment to look around.

The woods are indeed very thick, making it very difficult see anything within long distances and everything is very condense to where it is easy to lose the little details. If gnomes _do_ live here, this would be a perfect place for them. Easy to blend into their surroundings, only having someone with a keen eye be able to pick them out with everything there is to see...

"Did you finish getting all the posters up, Dipper?"

Gideon's heart stops at the sound of Mabel's voice. Turning towards the his left, he can see an opening forming through the thick trees.

"...Pacifica," Gideon whispers, trying to listen for either of the twins' voices. "Come here, _now_."

"Huh, why?" Pacifica turns to face him. "Did you see a gnome?"

"No, but I heard Mabel Pines."

That immediately gets Pacifica to become quiet, waiting to see if she can hear the voices as well.

" _Finally_ , I did," Dipper's voice comes in. "I had to make sure the posters were able to get far into town. _Not_ fun, being around all those idiotic people..."

Trying to move closer to the opening so they can see, Gideon and Pacifica try to remain hidden from view as they see Dipper and Mabel are talking. Both are carrying a carrier of nails and a hammer, Mabel looking like she is ready to run a marathon while Dipper looks exhausted. They are standing outside a very tall and odd looking building with a large sign saying, 'Mystery Shack.' Well...technically it says 'Mystery hack,' as the 'S' has fallen down, but it is easy able to tell where it once was. Pacifica and Gideon watch the twins carefully, who seem completely unaware that they are there.

Mabel gives a big smile.

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least you did your daily 'socializing' that Mom and Dad are wanting you to do!"

Dipper crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

"Like it matters. Mom and Dad couldn't care less. They only say that because everyone else is pressuring them to get me more outgoing."

"And it's working~"

"It works just as well as your countless therapy sessions."

Looking down at Mabel's carrier, Dipper's eyebrows rise.

"Uh...Mabel, what's moving in your bag?" he asks uncertainly. "Is that..."

Mabel gives off an unsettling laugh.

"Don't worry about it, bro!" she claims. "It's just a copy of my hand on Grunkle Stan's copier! Well...sorta, as it kind of magically came off the page and started moving on its own. It's a cloned, functional, disembodied hand!"

Dipper flinches back, Mabel laughing even harder. He shouts a few things at her, calling her crazy and such, but she only grows even more amused. Gideon feels just as disturbed as Dipper, for even though he cannot see the 'hand' they are referring too, he is convinced that it is something startling.

"And," Dipper finally says, trying to get things back on subject. "you said you were able to do this on Grunkle Stan's copier?"

Mabel nods her head.

"Yep! And if we can clone a hand, why not a whole person? Wouldn't it be cool, Dipper, if we had our own clone army? That would be _so_ much fun!"

At the thought of an army of Mabels, as well as Dippers, Gideon feels his face pale dramatically. It would be utter chaos, he can picture, the Mabels running around wildly and letting out destruction everywhere they go.

After watching the twins discuss about the subject of a cloning copier machine, one that Dipper shows great interest in, they eventually leave and go inside the Mystery Shack. Once they are gone, Gideon and Pacifica turn to each other.

"...I say this beats going after gnomes, don't you think?" Pacifica says after a long silence.

She steps away from the Mystery Shack, not wanting to take the chance of the twins coming back out and seeing them.

"We need to see this copier machine," she continues, a look of determination forming in her gaze, "and get it away from the twins. We can't have them making clones of themselves. Who knows what they can do with that kind of power! We need to find a way to get inside the house and-"

_"_ No _! No, you can't go in there!"_

Forcing them into a daydream, Bill appears right in front of Pacifica. His single eye is wide, a look of panic in his gaze as his whole body shakes.

"You two can't go in there!" he exclaims frantically. "It's too dangerous, you guys could get hurt!"

Pacifica's eyes grow wide.

"Whoa! Calm down Bill..."

She attempts to lower her voice, in attempt to ease him.

"I know you said the Pines Twins are not to be messed with, but if we don't do something about that cloning machine, they will only become more dangerous."

"It's not Pine Tree and Shooting Star I'm worried about!"

Bill, his blue tint glowing brighter and brighter, hugs onto Pacifica's head for dear life, pleading for them not to go in there while not explaining why. It is clear that his mind and body are in two separate places, like he is having a flashback to one horrifying thing when nothing is happening in the present. Gideon can only watch in shock, it hurting him to see Bill like this.

"...Look, Bill, Pacifica is right."

Bill reopens his eye, looking down to meet Gideon's gaze. Pacifica remains where she is, standing quietly and stiffly.

"If we do not get rid of this machine," Gideon says, "then it doesn't matter if we face the danger now or later. Bill, you've seen, and probably know, how unstable the twins are. Do you _really_ want to leave them with something that powerful in their hands? Whatever your afraid of, it's not gonna go away just because we don't go into that building."

"Y-yes, but-"

" _But_ nothing. And that same nothing is not going to get you. Pacifica and I won't let Him come near you or anything else that can harm you. You'll be safe with us."

"He's right," Pacifica adds, putting her hand on top of Bill's. "And we know you won't let anything happen to us. No matter what happens, we've got each other's back, just like what happened on Pioneer Day. We're all in this together, and it's gonna stay that way."

Gideon nods, smiling to show his support. There is a short silence, Bill moving his gaze between him and Pacifica. His grip on her slowly loosens.

"...I can see there is no way I can convince you not to go," he finally says. "But if anything _really_ bad happens, you two stubborn idiots promise me you'll get out of there! No matter what it is or what is going on, you won't put yourselves in danger!"

"We promise," Gideon replies with a gentle smile. "We won't get hurt so long as you are around, Bill. I trust you."

Bill's eye grows wide at that last sentence.

"That..." His voice cracks. "...means a lot to hear you say that, kid..."

He finally lets go of Pacifica and floats back.

"So... _how_ do you two plan on getting in there anyway? There is no way in heck will the twins just let you two barge in there."

"That is a good point," Pacifica replies with a sly smile. "And I think I know how to get around that."

Running off towards the direction of the Mystery Shack, she looks at each of the trees as if she is searching for something. Gideon and Bill watch her go, both completely lost as to what she is doing. After disappearing from view for a bit, it does not take long for Pacifica to return. In her hand, she is carrying a poster that is advertising a party this Saturday night. At the Mystery Shack.

"We can make our way in by going to this party," Pacifica explains excitedly. "We will have to pay a little bit of cash and get disguises, but I can cover that. My dad wants me to socialize, so he will let me go with few questions. I can also hire someone from the salons to give Gideon and I a makeover to where we are unrecognizable! It will be perfect!"

"Wait...' _makeover_?'"

Gideon stares at Pacifica with wide eyes while she nods her head enthusiastically.

"Yep!" she replies. "Don't worry, Gideon, it won't be anything too extreme. Just some temporary hair dye, a new hair style, and a change of clothes to make you not as easily recognizable. Think of it as a Halloween or Summerween costume."

Once again, a million things go through her mind as Pacifica studies Gideon carefully, saying that she is debating whether he will look better as brunette or a redhead. Gideon groans, though he knows in the end this is the lesser evil, compared to an army of Mabels tackling him. And he _did_ ask for something more exciting than looking for gnomes...

Beggars can't be choosers, but at least now Bill looks happier again, laughing and giving Pacifica suggestions as she plans out hers and Gideon's new look.


	11. Chapter 11

When Saturday night finally comes, Gideon and Pacifica hide in the woods right outside the Mystery Shack, watching the long line of preteens and teenagers as they all wait to get tickets for the big party. They have been standing out here for at least a good twenty minutes, Gideon feeling like he is about to die from a heat stroke with this heavy leather jacket he is wearing. Right now, he is very tempted to strangle Pacifica and Bill for the 'makeover' they made him sit through, though mostly his frustration is aimed at Bill.

For a demon who only wears two articles of clothing, he has a _very_ keen sense of fashion and pretty much came up with his and Pacifica's disguises. For Gideon, Bill decided that a punkish look would disguise his 'cutesy' and 'old fashion' sense of taste. A black leather jacket, together with skinny black jeans and a white t-shirt with ripped sleeves. Not to mentioned his hair is now temporarily dyed black with tons and _tons_ of hair products in it... In all honestly, he feels that he is from that movie that takes place in the fifties, _Bacon Grease_.

Pacifica on the other hand, Bill chose an outfit that seemed a little less humiliating. He had her in more of a gothic look, with black dyed hair, skirt, and t-shirt with the band _My Chemistry Romance_ on it. Combine that with many layers of makeup...

"...Am I the only one who thinks we will draw more attention to ourselves dressed this way?" Gideon asks himself out loud. "I mean, we look ridiculous, like a rock band or something."

"And the other's don't?"

In the line, Pacifica points to a group of teens all wearing bright, neon colors, a group of preteens in similar gothic/punkish attire, and other party outfits that make Gideon question humanity.

"We'll be fine," she continues. "Just stick to the plan and follow my lead."

Unable to see his shadow, Pacifica turns around and whispers, "Are you ready, Bill?"

Bringing them temporarily into the mindscape, Bill appears and nods.

"Yep! And don't you two look great!"

He flies around cheerfully, having no sign of distress even though they are in the exact same place he had a mental breakdown a few days ago. Either his mind has repressed the memory so far that he can't remember it right away or is so distracted by his artistic fashion choices he can't 'see' the Mystery Shack. Regardless, Gideon hopes that Bill will stay this calm, because if he starts freaking out once they are inside, he and Pacifica will be almost powerless do anything.

"All right," Pacifica says, "let's go!"

Giving both of them the signal that it 'It's Time,' Bill takes them back to the waking world and the two of them head for the crowd. Gideon takes a deep breath, getting himself all in character as he mentally prepares himself for the worse. Silently, they wait in the line for a good fifteen minutes, hearing the intense techno music coming from within the shack. Bright colors can be seen from the windows and open doorway. There are no signs of the Pines Twins, or any Mabel clones causing the end of the world, so all seems to be going well.

Eventually, Gideon and Pacifica get towards the front of the line, where as quickly as she can, a fifteen year old girl with long red hair tries to give out tickets and take the money all by herself. Immediately Gideon recognizes this girl as Wendy, the alcoholic lumberjack's daughter. She is completely stressed, her hair in a total mess and large dark circles under her green eyes.

"That will be ten dollars, please," she says as she hands a teen his ticket. "Have a good night!"

She says the same thing over and over again, till she finally gets to Pacifica and Gideon.

"Here's the money for my...brother and I," Pacifica lies, handing her the two tens.

"Thanks," Wendy replies.

Putting the cash in a small box before grabbing the tickets from a box under the table. When she reaches down, her eyes grow wide.

" _Crap_..."

She gives Pacifica and Gideon an uneasy look.

"...Look, I need to go get more tickets. I'll be right back, just stay right there!"

With a look of panic, she quickly runs back inside the Mystery Shack, people in the back of the line booing and complaining about her leaving. Gideon and Pacifica look at each other, wondering if they should go ahead and go inside. But before they can act, Wendy returns, completely out of breath.

"Here you dudes go," she apologizes. "Enjoy the party!"

Gideon smiles. "Thanks. Have a good night."

Having Wendy smile in reply before returning back to work, Gideon and Pacifica make their way inside the shack, entering a world of flashing lights and loud party music. The place is crowded, large groups scattered all over the place near the snack tables and social areas. In the middle of the room, there is a large dance area that is very closed in, and in the back of the room, there is a small stage area where a DJ is playing. That DJ is the local mortician's son, Robbie, using his musical talents to provide the soundtrack for the party.

"Looks like there is a lot of people here," Pacifica says, stating the obvious as her eyes scan the area. "This should be good cover for us to sneak away. With so many people, we won't be missed easily or noticed."

"I guess," Gideon replies in a whisper. "But where do we start looking? I guess this 'magical cloning copier' would be in some kind of office."

Pacifica nods.

"Maybe, or in a basement. If I were the Pines Twins or their... _grunkle_."

The word is hard to pronounce, being so strange.

"I would want to make sure that copier is kept secret at all costs. So we should keep that in mind as well. Or it could be hidden in a-"

" _How_ about we just focus on sneaking out of the party first," Gideon interrupts before she can ramble on. "After that, we can worry about specifics."

The two of them then begin to walk around the party room, dodging the large crowds and trying to find a way out. In the far back, next to the DJ and stage, there is the opening to a hallway. However there is a man standing in front of it. He looks like to be in his twenties, very large and having a large green question mark t-shirt on. His face is very stoic, his eyes moving around the room as if on his guard. Pacifica and Gideon see him, though they are far enough away not to bring attention to themselves.

"I bet all the money the Northwests own that way leads to the cloning copier," Pacifica declares. "Though we need to think of a way to distract him long enough to get through..."

She ponders over this, meanwhile Gideon looks around to see if he can spot Mabel or Dipper. They've been at this party for a while now, and there still has been no sign of them. Aren't they technically the hosts of this event? Or their Grunkle Stan?

Stan...Pines... Wait, isn't he-

"Thank you all for coming to the Mystery Shack's big summer party!"

Cutting through Gideon's thoughts, the music suddenly stops and Robbie comes up to the stage. He and Pacifica turn to face Robbie, along with everyone else.

"I hope you all are having a good time tonight," the DJ continues. "And I plan to make sure that continues by having a few competitions to spice things up."

He clears his throat, smiling down at the crowd.

"The first competition tonight will be a singing contest. I will select two random people from the crowd to sing a duet together. Flipping a coin to see who will chose the song and then I will have all of you vote who sang the song the best! Are we cool?"

The crowd cheers loudly in response, some of them even shouting for them to be picked. Robbie laughs.

"Awesome, dudes! Now, who shall I pick first..."

He narrows his eyes as he scans through the crowd.

" _Me_! _Me_! I wanna sing!"

Recognizing that loud, slurring voice, Gideon freezes as he sees Mabel running onto the stage. Dressed in the most over the top gothic sweater and blood red skinny jeans, Mabel jumps up and down on stage, declaring herself already the winner. On the opposite side of the stage, and opposite to where Gideon and Pacifica are standing, Dipper walks up. He sighs heavily, clearly tired, doing nothing to stop his out of control twin from making a fool of herself. Having no choice, Robbie accepts her as one of the contestants, where he then looks for one more.

"With Mabel competing, this should keep the twins busy enough," Pacifica whispers to Gideon hopefully. "Once the competition begins, I'll get the guard's attention while you-"

"You, in the _My Chemistry Romance_ shirt! Come on up!"

Realizing he is talking to her, Pacifica's eyes widen as everyone has their eyes on her.

"W-what?!" she stammers.

Robbie smiles.

"You must have great taste in music wearing a _My Chemistry Romance_ concert shirt," he explains. "Let's see if you are as big of fan of them as I am!"

He continues to gesture her to come on stage, Mabel jumping up and down and calling her out.

"Come on, Gothica!" she shouts. "Let's do this!"

The crowd cheers, along with Mabel, chanting, " _Gothica_! _Gothica_!"

Pacifica freezes up, her face full of panic.

"It's okay," Gideon quickly tells her in a low voice. "Think of this as a diversion so I can find the copier with Bill. If you don't go up there, people will get suspicious."

Pacifica turns to him.

"But what do I do?! I've never sung in public before!"

"You'll think of something. You're good thinking on your feet."

Gideon gives her a look of encouragement.

"You can do this. Besides, one of us has to make sure the twins are distracted."

There is a long silence, Pacifica looking like someone has just asked her to pull out all of her hair one by one. But, realizing the how dire the situation is, she takes a deep breath of air and turns to face the stage, slowly walking up towards it. The crowd cheers.

"There we go!" Robbie exclaims, his voice filled with energy. "I promise you will be awesome, Gothica!"

Pacifica looks at him nervously.

"T-thanks. Though that isn't-"

"Now for the coin toss!"

Without wasting any time, as Mabel looks like she is about to explode from impatience, Robbie takes out a coin from his black hoddie's pocket and holds up to the crowd. He declares that if the coin lands on heads it would be Mabel's, who Robbie keeps calling Black Star, choice of song. If tails, then it is Pacifica's choice. As this is going on, Gideon's eyes move between the two Pines Twins.

Mabel hasn't seem to recognize Pacifica, though it is hard to tell if it is because of her disguise or if she is too blinded by her strong competitive nature. Dipper is harder to tell, as Gideon can't get a good view of him. He also takes quick glances at the guard, who seems to be paying close attention to the stage.

"All right, looks like it is tails!" Robbie announces after the coin hits the floor. "Gothica, what's your song?"

After Mabel gives off a nonsensical, light-hearted curse, everyone brings their gaze to Pacifica. Pacifica's eyes grow wide.

"U-uh..."

She gestures Robbie to come closer, where she then whispers into his ear the name of the song she wants to sing.

_"Ooo!"_ Bill's sing-song tone of voice echoes in Gideon's mind. _"This song is so fitting for what Paz is about to do!"_

Gideon raises an eyebrow, however he can't see Bill's shadow to question him. Robbie gives off a soft laugh.

"Interesting choice," he replies. "But I'm totally up for it! How about you, Black Star?"

He whispers the name of the song to Mabel, where all she does is giggle like a maniac and exclaim, "Yes, yes! I like it!"

She turns her attention to Pacifica.

"And just so you know, you're going _down_ , Gothica! I'm gonna go all out to win!"

"Eh he he he... Sure," Pacifica replies with an uneasy laugh. "So will I..."

With everything at an agreement, Robbie hands both girls a microphone so they can begin. The crowd cries out as he gets back to his original seat.

"Are you all ready, dudes?" he asks, building up the suspense. "Here we go!"

He begins to play the song. There is a heavy techno beat to it, having the harsh pounding like a heartbeat. Soon the sound keyboard faintly starts to play, making a very soft build up to it. As the music plays, Gideon moves closer to the guard, who is tapping his foot to the music. Soon enough, it is time for Pacifica to sing.

" _T-there's a fire going on, but the party's just begun._

" _So keep your focus looking at me tonight._

" _So the world's about to end, gonna party with my friends,_

" _And ain't nobody gonna say it's not right._ "

Her voice starts out very shaky and uneven, it being extremely difficult to hear her at first. But by closing her eyes and trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, her voice slowly grows stronger with an easier flow.

" _And I know_

_"Nothing's gonna stand in my way_

" _No matter the people may say_

" _Just don't turn around and keep looking straight_

" _And I see_

" _That everybody's starting to yell_

" _How the world around you's going to hell_

" _I'm here to tell you it's just fate._ "

Everyone begins to cheer her on, encouraging her more and more to get over her stage fright. It seems to help Pacifica quite a bit, as her voice takes up new confidence with the first chorus, the music becoming much louder.

" _I'm a distraction_

" _Of pure satisfaction_

" _Keep your eyes all on me, for what you're gonna see,_

" _Will redefine the height of attraction_

" _I'm a distraction,_

_"And I'm ready for action_

" _So the world's gonna blow,_

" _Stop complaining and go to the show..._ "

Everyone is loving her, and while he is glad she is gaining more confidence, Gideon cannot help but groan at her choice of song.

"'I'm a Distraction?'" he questions to himself. " _Really_ , Pacifica?"

How much more obvious can she be?

_"Hey, at least it's working!"_ Bill defends, humming to the melody of the song. _"Look, kid!"_

Though unable to see him, Gideon looks over his shoulder to see that the guard has step away from the entrance way to the hallway, moving to where he has a better view of the performance. His eyes grow wide, but Gideon does not hesitate to go ahead and take this opportunity. As quietly as he can, he makes his way into the hallway, praying that neither Dipper or Mabel can pick up that Pacifica is _literally_ a distraction...


	12. Chapter 12

From the corner of her eye, Pacifica sees Gideon pass the guard and get out of the party room. A huge feeling of relief goes through her, however she quickly puts her focus back on the singing competition. She needs to keep this going for as long as possible, as Mabel is totally absorbed in it and has no suspicion as to what's going on. Pacifica glances over at Dipper for a second, who has now crossed his arms and is narrowing his eyes at her. Though she panics a little inside, she continues to sing and avoid eye contact.

" _There's explosions in the sky, and the neighborhood is fried,_

" _But you don't have to join them in all of the fuss..._ "

She can feel Dipper's gaze become more and more intense. Unintentionally, Pacifica leaves her gaze on him for too long, where their eyes meet. As if he is shocked with electricity, Dipper's eyes grow wide. He then quickly runs up to the stage, where she is about to finish the last of her part of the duet.

" _Act like nothing's going wrong,_

" _And just keep playing my song_

" _Until there's nothing left around here but us._ "

It is then Mabel's turn to start singing, where she takes Pacifica's place as Pacifica takes a few steps back. She takes a deep breath of air, about to let out all she's got until suddenly, Dipper rushes on stage and snatches the microphone from Mabel.

" _And I know,_ " Dipper sings, pushing his twin away, " _something's gonna happen tonight,_

" _All the stars around us start taking flight,_

" _But there's something that invites me to stay..._ "

He glances over his shoulder and glares at Pacifica, his eyes icy cold. Pacifica shivers, the unsuspecting crowd cheering Dipper on.

" _Cause I'm drawn,_

" _To the rhythm the music they play,_

" _And we're all gonna die anyway,_

" _So enjoy it while you can, come what may..._ "

He makes eye contact with Mabel, who is shaking with pure fury, the spotlight being stolen from her.

" _Mabel, she's a_ distraction _!_

" _Of pure satisfaction,_

" _There's a war going on in the other room,_

" _but in here we all won,_

" _'Cause nobody here is slowing the traction..._ "

Using the song to clue her in, Mabel realizes what is going on and she lets out a gasp. Powerless to do anything, as Robbie and the rest of the people are too distracted by Dipper's singing, Pacifica sees Mabel jump off stage and head off into the same hallway Gideon went. Pacifica's heartbeat grows louder, hoping that Gideon has somewhat of a far lead to find the copier before Mabel can catch up to him. She hopes that Bill will be able to do something to protect him, because right now, she is stuck here in this stupid competition.

Soon enough, Dipper's part of the duet is getting close to being over, where Pacifica will have to come back in. She once again makes eye contact with him, where she clutches her fists and gets ready to sing again. The least she can do is to keep Dipper away from Gideon, and with the twins separated, at least there is a better chance at overpowering them.

* * *

"And it's not in here either."

After checking the last room in the house part of the Mystery Shack, Gideon lets out a heavy, tired sigh. He can feel his eyelids grow heavy, his exhaustion finally catching up to him after a long day of makeovers, infiltrating, and the show he had preformed earlier that day. He has looked through every room on the first floor, being as quiet as he could while still be on high alert. Bill went ahead to search upstairs and the attraction part of the building, but Gideon has yet to hear a word from him.

A part of him wonders if there really _is_ a cloning copier machine, and that they risked their lives for nothing. They never saw this 'moving disembodied hand,' and it could have been very likely Mabel was showing Dipper something disturbing on CopywriteTube. Anything is possible, but real or not, Gideon knows he is running out of time and has to find something fast.

" _Kid, I found the magic cloning copier!"_

To snap him out of his tired daze, Bill's ghostly voice echoes through Gideon's mind.

_"It's in the basement near the staircase, in the entry hall!"_

Taking his word right away, Gideon dashes out of the hallway and into the entry hall. There, he can see a staircase going upwards, and in the far back, there is another door. He approaches it, opening it to see another fleet of stairs heading to a dark, warm basement. A chill goes down Gideon's spine, fearing that the moment he goes down there he will be ambushed by Mabel clones. His heart pounds in his chest, to where he slowly puts his right foot on the step.

"Not so fast, little guy!"

With his worse fear coming to life, he quickly turns around to come face to face with Mabel. The _real_ Mabel, as no amount of cloning could copy the unstable look in her dark eyes. She grins.

"Don't you know it's rude to go snooping in someone's house? I mean, I'm glad you made it to the party, but _seriously_?!"

She moves closer to him, where Gideon is paralyzed with fear. He cannot just run straight into the dark basement blindly, he would only trap himself with either the clones that awaited him or Mabel locking him in. He can't run pass her, as he is nowhere stronger than her... Mabel's smile grows wider.

"Aw, you're scared of me, aren't you?" she asks with a sing-song tone of voice. "I would never hurt you, little guy! At least if it was my choice."

"'...Your choice?'"

His voice comes out very weak, but he can't help but notice the choice of words she used. Mabel nods her head.

"Yep! I actually really like you, but you and your friend _really_ made my brother mad during that festival! So, an enemy of my brother is an enemy of mine! It is as simple as that."

She puts her hands onto Gideon's shoulders.

"And now to test out our clone army! Bye-bye, little guy!"

With a heavy shove, Mabel causes Gideon to lose his balance and he falls backwards, crashing down the stairs and eventually landing in the basement. He lands right on his stomach, his whole body in pain as he can hear Mabel's off pitch laugh in the distance. And then another laugh joins hers, sounding just like Mabel's, but coming from within the basement and not above.

And then there is another laugh, and another, and another, and another...

Tears of pain and fear are forming in his eyes, Gideon trying to stand back up.

_"Gideon, you okay?!_ Gideon _!"_

Bill's worried voice tries to reach him, but there is no way for Gideon to reply to him. Though he can't see them, he knows the Mabel clones have circled him.

"Great job, girls!"

Turning on the light from above, Mabel comes down the stairs, where to Gideon's horror, there are fifteen faded out Mabels all around him. Gideon makes eye contact with each one of them, trying to stand his ground as they continue to snicker and giggle.

"So, do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" Mabel asks. "Like I said, I really don't wanna hurt you. So if you just surrender, and let's say, give me that journal you guys got, then we're all good!"

Moving past two of her clones, she skips over to Gideon's side.

"Soon all will be forgiven and we then can become friends! Whataya say, Lil Gideon? Can we do it the easy way? Please?"

She offers him her hand, indicating that the moment he gave her the journal, it would be all over. Gideon stares at her.

"I...don't have the journal, Mabel," he finally says. "And even if I did..."

He clutches his fists, seeing that in the far back, he spots an old copy machine.

"...I would _never_ give it to ya! Those journals are dangerous, and the moment I can, I'll burn them before it can get into the hands of crazy people like you and your brother!"

After his outburst, he takes a step back, fearing that he might have pushed Mabel over the edge. But he has no choice, and maybe in a blind rage, he can get her and her clones to destroy the cloning machine. But to his surprise, Mabel just stares at him, her eyes wide as if she hasn't comprehended what he said.

"...I'm crazy, huh?" She gives a soft, broken laugh. "Not like I've heard that one before..."

She takes a few steps back.

"Well...can't say I tried. Girls, let's tie him up and then wait for Dipper-"

" _Ahhhhhhhhhh_! _Make it stop_!"

Out of nowhere, one of the Mabel clones is brought to her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs. Gideon, along with Mabel and the other clones, stare at her with wide eyes, as the distressed clone's eyes glow a very bright shade of blue. She sounds like she is agony, claiming that she is trapped and is desperate for a way out.

"...Maybelle? What's wrong?"

Mabel and the rest of her clones all come to the distressed clone's, Maybelle's, side, trying to calm her down and wake her up. Gideon watches them, a part of him debating whether he should try to help or not.

_"Don't just stand there, kid!"_ Bill's voice suddenly chimes in. _"This is your chance to destroy the machine! While she is distracted!"_

Turning to the wall that casts Bill's shadow, Gideon's gaze moves between him and Maybelle.

"...Bill," he whispers with wide eyes, " _what_ did you do?"

_"I did what I had to, that's what I did!"_

Flying towards the other end of the room, Bill shows Gideon where a hammer lays on a shelf.

_"Destroy the machine now and run for it!"_ he exclaims. _"By the time you do that, Paz will be done with her song and you two can get the heck outta here!"_

Gideon stands where he is, a part of him still in shock. Knowing that it will not only take away a power from the twins, but also put Maybelle out of her suffering, he ultimately runs up and grabs the hammer. He quickly moves next to the copier machine, and with all his strength to hit the machine. He hits the more delicate parts of it, causing huge dents and sparks to come out. It doesn't take long for Mabel and her clones to see what he is doing, all if them gasping in shock.

" _No_!" Mabel cries, tears in her eyes as she watches him destroy the machine.

After making sure it was damaged fairly good, Gideon waste no time rushing out of the basement and making it back to the party. After what Bill just did, there is no way he can look Mabel, Maybelle, or the other clones in the eye.

* * *

" _We're a distraction,_

" _Of pure satisfaction!_ "

It is now the finale between Pacifica and Dipper's duet, both of them singing with all their strength as they continuously circle one another other. They glare at each other pure hate and determination, desperate to outdo the other as the crowd cheers louder and louder with Robbie's music increasing in intensity. In all truth, Pacifica is beyond exhausted. Her voice is hoarse and is completely out of breath, but this is her final moment in triumph and the last thing she can do to buy Gideon any remaining time he needs.

" _I'm a distraction,_

_"And I'm ready for action_

" _So the world's gonna blow,_

" _Stop complaining and go,_

" _Just start watching the show, cause there's no more to know,_

" _Here we go_!"

" _I'm a distraction_!" Pacifica sings, trying to finish the song off.

Dipper takes a step closer to her, narrowing his eyes.

" _She's a distraction..._ "

" _We're a distraction..._ "

" _They're a distra_ ction _!_ "

With Robbie's last minute finish, the crowd goes wild while the music comes to a complete stop. Lowering their microphones, Pacifica and Dipper pant heavily. Immediately, Pacifica wants to run off and try to find Gideon, but the thought of moving her legs just a tad caused her great pain. Dipper seems to have similar thoughts, and before they can do anything, Robbie appears between them.

"That, dudes," he exclaims, "was the _best_ sing-out I've ever seen! Let's give Gothica and Little Dipper over here another round of applause!"

The crowd cheers once again, some of the guys and girls declaring that they love 'Gothica' and 'Little Dipper.' It is a migraine to Pacifica, and she does not attempt to smile back at them.

"But unfortunately, we will have to choose a winner," Robbie continues. "Or _do_ we, dudes?!"

"Gothica _and_ Little Dipper! Gothica _and_ Little Dipper!"

The chants are intense and loud, making Pacifica's tired head spin. She glances down towards the hallway, where at that moment, Gideon runs out like his life depends on it.

" _Pacifica_!" he yells, running through the crowd and towards the exit.

And in the distance, there is the screams of Mabel calling after Gideon and Dipper.

"'Pacifica?'"

Robbie gives a puzzled look, but before he has time to question it, Pacifica jumps off stage. The crowd gasps, but she ignores them as she pushes her way out of the crowd.

"Get back here!" Dipper shouts after her. "Soos, don't let them escape!"

Upon his name being called, the large man with the question mark shirt makes his way through the crowd, though not acting as aggressive as he should have been. Pacifica's eyes grow wide, her feet and legs hurting every time she forced them to carry her farther and faster. But somehow, she is able to prolong it, able to get back outside and race off towards the forest. She can see Gideon is ahead of her, and the two of them continue to run till their legs collapse on them.

Both Gideon and Pacifica fall to the ground, breathing heavily with their movements stiff. Pacifica feels light headed, blood rushing to her head while her her vision fades in and out.

No...no, she can't lose consciousness now! She fights to stay awake, calling out Gideon's name and hoping he will respond. But he does not, he doesn't move an inch from what Pacifica can see. Suddenly, she sees someone in the distance, someone with a long beard and tall hat.

Her eyes grow wide, recognizing Old Man McGucket's figure. She quickly tries to get back on her feet. But the moment she tries to sit up, her sight becomes blurrier and it becomes hard to breathe, forcing her back down again. All she can do is watch as McGucket gets closer and closer, where eventually, no matter how hard she tries, her world turns black.


	13. Chapter 13

The next thing Pacifica can remember after blacking out is laying in an empty white void. She tries to sit up, she wants to sit up, but she does not have the energy to do so. It is hard to keep her eyes open, her mind clouded and unable to come up with consistent thought. Her eyes are itchy, probably from all that eye makeup she has on.

Get...up.

She keeps telling herself she can't just lay here, but no matter how hard she tries...

_"Hey Paz, it's okay. Just relax."_

Pacifica blinks, seeing Bill float over her. Her eyes grow wide, opening her mouth to speak but Bill cuts her off.

"Don't ask questions," he says. "Both you and Gideon _really_ over did it tonight. You two need to rest up."

Pacifica stares at him, seeing that his blue glow is extremely thin and pale.

"...But-"

" _Shhhh_... Do I really need to repeat myself, Paz?"

He places his entire hand over her mouth, preventing her from speaking anymore. It looks like she is about to bite off his hand, however her teeth go right through like air. Bill rolls his eye at that.

"Charming as ever! What is with you and Gideon and doing weird things when you're unconscious? Gid mutters in his sleep about white lights, you always trying to bite something… Seriously, what is up with that?"

He continues to rant and ramble on, though his tone still seem playful. Normally, Pacifica would be annoyed by this, but in her tire state, Bill's words don't seem to register.

As if under some kind of spell, she shuts up and does not question him. For some reason, she feels very relaxed, warm memories coming to mind as she feels herself slipping from consciousness. A sense of security comes over her, falling into a deep sleep with Bill watching over her.

* * *

When she finally gains the strength to wake up, Pacifica slowly opens her eyes to find herself in her bedroom, tucked into her bed. She stares blankly at her wall, where she then realizes that she is not wearing her pajamas, but still her sweaty, smelly clothes from the party. Her eyes grow wide, jumping out of her bed and grabbing her cell phone, which is on her dresser. She speed-dials Gideon's house, her heart pounding in her chest. It rings a couple of times, when eventually there is an answer.

 _"Hello?"_ the scratchy voice of Mrs. Gleeful says.

"Mrs. Gleeful," Pacifica replies, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "It's Pacifica. I was calling to see if Gideon was around."

It takes a moment for Mrs. Gleeful to reply, as she goes into a small coughing fit.

 _"I'll pass the phone to him,"_ finally came her answer. _"He should still be in his room, asleep."_

She can hear her walk down the hallway on the other end.

_"Just what were you doing last night to become passed out on our doorstep?"_

Pacifica blinks, Mrs. Gleeful's question catching her off guard.

"…Huh? What do you mean?"

_"Around midnight, the doorbell rang and Bud gets up to see it's you two on our doorstep."_

Mrs. Gleeful pauses, letting out a harsh cough.

_"He ended up taking you home while I got Gideon to bed. Do you have any idea how scared we were to find you two like this? Going to a party is fine, but passing out like that is unacceptable!"_

She goes into a short rant, saying that she was worried if either of them had been drugged or under the influence of alcohol. Pacifica barely listens to her, for the last thing she can remember before passing out is seeing Old Man McGucket coming towards her and Gideon.

If they were placed at the Gleefuls' doorstep, then McGucket must have carried her and Gideon out of the forest before the Pines Twins, or worse, found them. She can hardly believe that. Old, crazy McGucket, _saving_ them!? Why would he help them, when before he…?

_"…Pacifica? Dear, are you still there?"_

The worried tone in Mrs. Gleeful's voice snaps Pacifica out her thoughts. She tightens her grip on her cell phone.

"…Sorry, Mrs. Gleeful," she apologizes. "Gideon and I just got super tired and…we got a ride home. That's all."

 _"And they left you there?_ Unconsciousness and in the dark _?!"_

"…Mrs. Gleeful, me and Gideon can explain later. Right now, I _really_ need to talk to him."

_"Now you li-"_

Mrs. Gleeful is cut off as she goes into an uncontrollable coughing fit. She sounds like she is choking, and Pacifica can barely pick up Mr. Gleeful asking his wife if she is okay. Mrs. Gleeful gives a very raspy reply, claiming repeatedly that she is all right.

_"…I will pass the phone over. But I will want an explanation out of you, Pacifica."_

She takes a deep breath of air.

_"You may not be my daughter, but I won't let any friend of my son bring herself down. You understand?"_

"I…"

She hesitates.

"…I do, Mrs. Gleeful."

_"Good."_

She takes the phone away before Pacifica can reply. Guilt forms like a heavy stone in her stomach, however she does not have time to dwell on it when Gideon answers the phone.

_"I guess ma told you about what happened?"_

He just goes straight to the point, in which Pacifica nods to herself.

"Yeah," she replies, "and I think I know who brought us home. Before I fainted, I saw McGucket approach us. It _must_ have been him!"

 _"'…McGucket?'"_ Gideon hesitates. _"…You sure it was him?"_

"Positive. With the really tall hat and beard? It _has_ to be him!"

She could sense that he is having a hard time believing her, and if she were in his position, Pacifica would be doing the same. But she knows what she saw, and she could have Bill back her up with that, since he probably saw the whole thing happen. _If_ he is able to remember it. And speaking of him…

"…Hey Gideon, have you heard or seen Bill today?" Pacifica asks, her eyes moving around the room. "I haven't heard from him at all and he usually comes and bugs me when I oversleep."

 _"Oh, he's here,"_ Gideon answers. _"We were actually talking before ya called. He even said you were going to."_

He pauses.

_"…Also, Bill wants me to tell you he says 'hi.'"_

Pacifica rolls her eyes.

"…Hi Bill."

She knows for a fact he will continue to pester Gideon unless she says hi back, and he probably said it to annoy her too. Though it is good to hear he is doing okay, not seemingly traumatized from last night's events. Knowing that Bill could easily listen in to their conversation, and probably is, she decides not to question Gideon on how he is doing but rather change the subject.

"Now that we broke into the Pines Twins' house, we'll have to be extra careful from now on," Pacifica says. "I don't think they'll try to harm us if we are in town with lots of people, but we can't go into the woods without being together or knowing that Bill is with us. To continue our search for the gnomes, I think-"

_"I think we need to destroy the journal."_

Gideon's blunt statement throws Pacifica off her guard. Her mouth hangs open, however Gideon quickly comes back in before she can reply.

_"We can't risk Dipper and Mabel getting their hands on that book, or anyone really. It's dangerous and the right thing to do is to destroy them as soon as possible. We've got one of them right now, we can get rid of it now and then all we would have to worry about is what the Pines Twins have. When they're gone, Gravity Falls is safe we won't have anything else to worry about."_

He lets out a soft sigh.

 _"Look, I know you're gonna argue with me about it, but Pacifica, if that thing can summon something like Bill, who_ knows _what it can do?! Same thing with the twins' journal. We're gonna have to get rid of them sooner or later, so might as well do it now before you or even me gets too attached to the thing. I know it's hard, but please…"_

His voice cracks as he pleads with her. But they can't just cast it aside, at least not that easily.

"…I get where you are coming from," Pacifica answers, "but there is a good chance that their journal might have something that can be used against us. My journal has a lot of notes on spells and magical objects, not just monsters. There is a good chance Dipper might find a spell or something to come after us, so we may need my journal in order to defend ourselves. We can't just get rid of the journal…at least not until we get both of them."

There is a long pause, Pacifica waiting for Gideon to argue with her and try to get her to see 'reason.' But by seeing the wrathful look in Dipper's eyes during their sing off…she knows that he will not let this go.

Whether they like it or not, Pacifica has dragged her and Gideon into a fight they can't back out of.

 _"…Bill seems to agree with you on that,"_ Gideon finally says after a long silence, _"and for his sake, I won't argue._ _But I don't think you should keep it all the time, Pacifica._ _We'll take shifts on keeping the journal, in case Dipper or Mabel find out where we live."_

"We won't have to worry about that," Pacifica replies. "My mansion is heavily guarded. It will be impossible for them to get in. It'll be safe."

_"Even from monsters and spells?"_

There is a short pause.

"…It's better than your place," she replies. "Your house wouldn't stand a chance against an attack from the twins. It's a risk, but I'm willing to take it."

Gideon sighs heavily over the phone.

_"…We'll argue over this later. Ma and Dad are really worried about us so I better go talk to them. They'll wonder why we're on the phone for so long. So see ya later."_

He hangs up the phone, Pacifica doing the same. She sets the cell phone down and walks over to her desk, taking out the journal from one of the drawers and skimming through the pages. She is looking for something that may help defend themselves from whatever the twins may throw at them. A spell, a magical item, or even a mythical creature they could train… Something, just _something_ that they can use!

She goes through a couple more pages till she sees something that catches her eye. It is a drawing of what looks like an amulet with a bright light blue stone in it. It has a supernatural beauty to it, where in the notes, it says that this stone grants the user a strong telepathic powers. Pacifica's eyes grow wide, seeing that the power is strong enough to lift someone up into the air for long periods of time.

A stone that grants the user powers like any wizard… Now _that_ is something that can be used against the mad Pines Twins.


	14. Chapter 14

"Okay," Pacifica says, skimming the journal carefully as she spoke. "If I'm right, the stone should be in this cave behind the waterfall."

She points to it, water gushing down the large rock formation and hitting the surface of Lake Gravity Falls. Gideon blinks, trying to see through the rushing water but is unable to make anything out behind it.

"…If there is a cave, it will be hard getting in," he comments. "We'll get soaked."

"That's why I told you to wear your bathing suit," Pacifica replies, rolling her eyes at the obvious. "I told you we would be going to the lake and that swimming would be involved."

"I thought it would be a choice. You know, like having the entrance being _around_ the waterfall. That didn't involve swimming…"

Gideon shivers slightly, avoiding eye contact and crossing his arms.

"Anyways, I'm surprised either of our parents let us go out by ourselves. I seriously thought my mom was going to put me on a leash after the party. Dad was able to calm her down but..."

Pacifica narrows her eyes, her gaze focused on the waterfall.

"I did get a scolding, but they only cared about my image, not if I was hurt. If anything, your mom acted more motherly to me than mine did."

There was a very bitter tone in her voice, one that made it hard to come up with a reply to. It's been awhile since the last time her parents had unintentionally hurt her like that, and somehow, just because of that made this one sting a whole lot more.

"Bill," Pacifica finally says, "can you see if you can locate the cave's entrance?"

Seeing his shadow form on the ground, Gideon watches as Bill flies over to the waterfall. His silhouette goes back and forth between the water, indicating that the only way inside the cave is to swim underwater. Gideon groans, feeling like he has a rock falling into the pit of his stomach.

"…Do we _have_ to get this stone now?" he whines. "Or not at all? I mean, what use would we really…"

He stops himself as Pacifica takes off her swimsuit cover up and places it to the side. She sets it with the journal, preparing herself to go into the water.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," she replies. "Besides, I need someone to watch over the journal in case the twins show up."

Gideon narrows his eyes.

"Like heck I'm letting you go alone! What if you hit your head or something trying to find the cave's entrance, or the weight of the waterfall becomes too much?"

Pacifica rolls her eyes, fighting back a sigh.

" _Nothing's_ going to go wrong. And if it did, Bill will be there to help."

"Bill can't save you from drowning, Pacifica."

"But _you_ can. And he would come get you if I need it."

She sits down on the edge of the lake, placing her feet in. She shivers from the cold, but she quickly gets use to it.

"See ya in a sec."

With that said, Pacifica goes all the way into the water, swimming up to the waterfall. Gideon watches her intensely, seeing that she is struggling to go against the current. When she gets close enough, she then dives underneath the water, where she fades from view. Gideon closes his eyes, counting the seconds that go past, trying to keep himself calm.

_"_ Relax _, kid! You really think I would let Paz do something to get herself hurt?"_

Entering the dream realm, he opens his eyes to see Bill is floating in front of him.

"I saw this whole thing just the other night," the demon explains casually. "She'll only be in there for a few minutes before she comes across the telepathy stone. Heck, right now she's just now reached the surface, in deep awe at how pretty the cave is! And it's a _very_ pretty cave!"

Gideon blinks.

"…That is very specific of you, Bill," he comments suspiciously. "Is your memory getting better?"

It takes a moment for Bill to reply, his expression suggesting that he didn't notice till Gideon pointed it out.

"Hmm…I guess. Things have been easier to remember since I've met you guys. Very _pacifically_." He laughs at his own joke. "Though there are some big blanks. Like…like…"

He loses his words, now looking confused.

"…Hey Gid, why were you mad at me, like, a few days ago? Didn't you…not like something I did? Something with May's bell…"

He continues to ramble on, it clearly bothering him that he couldn't recall correctly. Gideon avoids eye contact, trying to get the thought of Mabel's clone out his mind.

That scream… That horrible, blood curling scream!

"…Oh well. Anyways, here comes Paz with the stone. It's sure going to be useful later!"

"'…Useful?'" Gideon gives him a strange look. "Bill, what are you talking about?"

Either because he didn't hear him or is just too distracted, the demon snaps his fingers and takes him out of the mindscape. Blinking a couple of times, as the shift between the two realities can be very unnerving, he sees Pacifica coming up to the lake shore. She flings herself to edge, gasping for air with her right fist clutched tightly. Quickly, Gideon rushes to her side, pulling her out of the water. Once she is out, he goes over to get her cover up, offering it to her since there are no towels available.

"Did you find it?" he asks.

It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.

"…Oh my God, it was _amazing_ in there!" she exclaims in between large breaths of air. "I don't think anyone has been there in years!"

She takes the cover up, putting it on while opening up her hand. She is holding the telepathy stone, its blue-greenish color so bright it looks like it is made out of glass. Gideon's eyes widen, taking the stone and studying it, amazed by its beauty.

"You should have seen it, Gideon," Pacifica says with a large smile. "Literally, the water was glowing green from the sunlight that came through the roof of the cave! It's like it's from another world, all isolated and filled with mystery…"

She begins to ramble on about the cave, declaring that she wants to explore it more tomorrow. However, Gideon does not pay much attention to her words. His focus is entirely on the stone, a part of him wondering just how much power could be contained in such a tiny little thing. He wants to test it out, see what he can do with it, as something like this could _really_ help out his magic act. To use _real_ magic instead of kiddy tricks…

"…You like the stone?"

Shaking him out of his thoughts, Gideon flinches slightly, noticing he had dozed off.

"Err…maybe."

He blushes a bit, Pacifica giving off a small laugh.

"I knew I would eventually find something from the journal you'd like!"

She then gave a competitive smirk, casting her gaze to the side.

"And it looks like I win the bet, Bill."

From the corner of his eye, Gideon can see Bill's shadow snap his fingers, Pacifica laughing in reply.

"Anyways, it is about time you got something cool from this summer," she says to Gideon. "With me having the journal and the sketchbook, it seemed a bit unfair. Plus with its power, it will be a good defense against the Pines Twins if they come after you."

"Yeah, I guess…"

He puts the stone in his pocket, patting it a couple of times so it stays secure. After picking up the journal, he and Pacifica begin to make their way back to town.

"So, you gonna try and use the stone in your magic shows?" she asks curiously. "If you were able to put it in a necklace or something, I bet it would look really good with your magician's outfit."

Gideon shrugs his shoulders.

"I want to, but it's too risky. If I could suddenly causing things to fly up into the air, people would get scared."

He tries to smile, though it hurts him slightly at the thought of not being able to use it for that sole purpose. But he knows it is the right thing, as he can imagine the look on his parents' faces if they saw he is suddenly able to lift up chairs off the ground without any wires. But with it, he would be taken more seriously, as someone who could have a career ahead of him instead of just a little hobby to help his parents…

"Well, do what you want," Pacifica says. "Just as long you don't claim to be a child psychic or something, a little real magic wouldn't hurt. It could really help your parents, you know?"

Gideon gave an uneasy laugh, his stomach twisting at his friend's words.

"He he… Yeah. It would."

* * *

After spending the rest of the day with Bill and Pacifica at her mansion, Gideon finally comes home right before the sun fully set. Looking towards the driveway, he saw that the car is gone, indicating that his dad is pulling a late night again at work. Car sales have been really bad ever since Pioneer Day, making things really intense and making money tighter than ever. He sighs heavily, wondering if he should stop by the shop to see his dad, before he ultimately decides to go inside the house and see how his mom is doing.

"Ma, I'm home," Gideon calls out.

There is a long silence as he waits for his mom to reply, him putting his hand in his pocket and clutching onto the stone very tightly.

"…Ma?"

"…Gideon? Is that you?"

Hearing his mother's extremely rough voice, he quickly walks over to the living room, where he sees Mrs. Gleeful laying on the couch, as if just waking up from a nap. Gideon's eyes widen.

"Ma, are you okay?"

Mrs. Gleeful sits up, smoothing down her hair and clearing her throat.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," she explains, her voice low. "Last night was rough and since neither you nor your father were here for dinner…"

She lets out a harsh cough.

"…I made meatloaf, and it is in the fridge if you want it. Did you have a good day with Pacifica? Stayed _out_ of trouble?"

She goes into a small coughing fit, and to Gideon it is obvious she is trying to hide it from him. His heartbeat grows faster, feeling great concern for his mother.

"…We did, mostly hanging out at her house."

He pauses.

"…Thanks for cooking dinner, Ma."

Not knowing what else to do, he goes up to her and hugs her. To his dismay, she feels very warm, causing him to tighten his grip on her.

"…You're such a sweet boy, Gideon," Mrs. Gleeful says, hugging her son back. "But don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

She gives a weak smile, pulling back a few stray hairs behind his ear. Suddenly, a bright gleam appears in her faded eyes, as if she just remembered something important.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Mrs. Gleeful exclaims. "A girl came by the house earlier today, saying that she wanted to see you."

Gideon raises an eyebrow, a puzzled look in his gaze.

"A girl…wanted to see me?"

He is completely lost, as the only girl he is really close to is Pacifica, his only other friends being some of the boys from school. Who could be this girl, did she perhaps mistake his home for someone else's? His mother nods her head.

"Yes. Some strange girl with this overly large sweater and bright red braces wanted to know if you were home. Said she had something very important to tell you."

…Large sweater? _Bright red braces_?!

"…M-ma," Gideon says, his heart pounding in his chest. "Was this girl named Mabel by any chance?"

"I don't know. She never said her name."

Mrs. Gleeful narrows her eyes.

"Gideon, are you in some kind of trouble? Is this someone you met at that party?"

"N-no! No, I didn't meet her there…"

With all his might, Gideon puts on a fake smile.

"She's…just a girl visiting for the summer I met during Pioneer Day. She's staying at her Great Uncle Stanford's place with her twin brother."

"…Stanford? As in Stanford _Pines_?"

Mrs. Gleeful looks like she is about to faint from shock.

"While I'll be… So the man _does_ have family! With how secluded he is, I was about to think…"

"Well…yeah. I guess everyone has some kind of family, right?"

Gideon takes a few steps back.

"Well…I think I'll go to my room for a bit. Good night, Ma!"

Without giving her a chance to react, he dashes out of the living room and goes into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He leans against the door, clutching onto the doorknob for dear life. Eyes wide, he takes in heavy breaths of air, feeling himself become light headed as his greatest fear just came true.

Mabel Pines knows where he lives.


	15. Chapter 15

Don't look back, for all that is good, _don't_ look back!

That's Gideon's thoughts as he speed-walks down the street on the way home from one of his shows. He can feel his heart racing inside his chest, every shadow and person that walks by causing his legs to shake with fear. Ever since he found out that Mabel Pines knew where he lived, he has found it harder and harder to constraint and focus. Nowhere is safe, she can be _anywhere_ , watching him and ready to strike...

Is she planning her revenge for what happened at the Mystery Shack? Would she attack him directly...or go after someone close to him, such as his family? Gideon stops in his tracks, his eyes widening at the thought of Mabel capturing his mom and dad. Hurting them like he did to Maybelle...for all she knew, it was him who did that to her clone instead of Bill.

Gideon clutches his fists tightly within his pockets, his right hand taking a hold of the telepathic stone that Pacifica had gotten him. He rubs his fingers against its cool, smooth surface, taking the stone out of his pocket and studying it closely. He has yet to test its powers, as he has been too busy worrying about Mabel and trying to do his shows. Maybe with the free time he has right now, he could go out into the forest and test it out. Yes...he could learn how to use it for self defense purposes, and not as a way to up the excitement of his show. Only to protect his family, his town and himself...

Shaking his head, Gideon holds the stone tightly in his hand as he heads towards the woods. Once he knows he is alone, scanning the dense forest with narrowed eyes to make sure _she_ wasn't there, he held the stone in his palm. Seeing the small broken tree branch in front of him, he sighs heavily and closes his eyes, in his mind imagining it being lifted up from the ground.

As if cool water is being drenched over him, Gideon feels himself becoming weightless, his mind at perfect peace. He opens his brown eyes, seeing that the branch is floating above the ground. It is only a few inches away from it, a light blue-green glow all around it. He looks down, seeing that the stone is giving off that exact same glow. A small smile appears across Gideon's face, imagining the branch to go higher and higher into the air. Exactly like how he pictures it in his mind, the branch does the same, dong exactly what he wants. His smile grows, moving the branch to the left, right, up, down. After that, he tries to expand his power a little more by levitating a rock at the same time as the branch, moving them both in the same and opposite direction. So long as he holds the stone, everything is up to him to command.

"Wow! You really are a magician, aren't ya?"

T-that voice!

Gideon gasps, breaking his concentration and breaking his power over the branch and rock. They collapse to the ground, him quickly turning around to see Mabel watching him. His legs shake, Mabel's red stained smile glowing with glee.

"That's so cool how you were able to lift that branch off the ground like that," she says cheerfully. "I mean, your shows are really good, but I bet you can make it even better if you add a little bit of real magic to it!"

She attempts to move closer, however Gideon immediately takes a giant step back.

"W-what do you want, Mabel?!" he demands, his voice cracking. "Just what're you planning?"

Mabel stops in her tracks, a confused expression on her face.

"...What do you mean?"

She cocks her head to side, Gideon narrowing his eyes and clutching onto the stone tightly.

"You went over to my house and asked my mom about me," he explains. "I don't know what you and your brother are planning, but leave me family out of this! If you want revenge for what...I did, then take it out on me and not them!"

There is a short silence. Inside, Gideon's conscious he screaming at him to run, or use the stone to throw something at Mabel to get away from her. His heart is pounding in his chest...yet he feels relatively calm, his tight around the stone. He watches Mabel carefully, and he is surprised to see that she is still grinning.

"Oh, you think me and Dipper are after your family?" she finally replies. "What are we, preteen masterminds with unlimited resources?"

She laughs, it being off pitch to hurt Gideon's ears.

"Despite my brother being so into this supernatural stuff, I couldn't care less. I just wanna have fun, do what I want. And...really all I want to do is hang out with you, little guy."

...Huh?

Gideon is speechless, his muscles becoming stiff. Mabel's cheeks grow red, as she sways side to side.

"I wasn't joking when I said I liked you. I really do want to be friends, despite what my brother says. In fact, he would be really mad if he knew I was with you right now?"

Quicker than he could comprehend, Mabel walks up to him to where they are face to face.

"So...can we be friends? Please? I don't care about the journal or whatever!"

The desperation in her brown eyes is hard to ignore, and for the first time, Gideon can see a very lonely girl behind the crazy appearance she had. She seems so sincere, and it is hard for him to not feel something for her. Even though he is still terrified of her, and the fact if he said no could set her off. For the sake of her family, for the sake of Pacifica...

"Uh...okay," he finally replies, "okay, Mabel, I'll be your friend."

With that said, Mabel's eyes grow wide, a mixture of surprise and joy gleaming from her gaze. She opens her mouth, however Gideon quickly cuts her off.

" _But_ I do have a few conditions, and if you don't follow them, we can't be friends."

He waits to continue to make sure he has her full attention.

"...First, I don't want you ever coming to my house again. I don't want to involve my parents in anyway. Second, you and your brother stay away from Pacifica and the journal. Do this...and I'll hang out with you as much as you want, providing I can still do my shows." He forces himself to keep eye contact, to make sure his voice doesn't falter. "Are you okay with this?"

He expects her to reject the limits right away, that she is the type of crazy to only have things go her way without compromise. But to Gideon's surprise...she actually doesn't complain. In fact, Mabel smiles and nods enthusiastically.

"Okay! I can't speak for my brother, but I will do my best to keep him back!" She gives off a girlish giggle. "He he! I'm so happy! I love you so much, Lil Gideon!"

"...H-hey! What are you ya-"

Gideon is cut off as Mabel practically flings herself onto him, embracing him in a giant hug. His face grows bright red, his heart stopping as he can feel the stone fall out of his hand.

"Oops! You drop something, little guy."

Mabel lets go of him and picks up the stone.

"It's so pretty!" she comments. "This would look great as an amulet! Hey, can I make you an amulet for this?"

"Uh..."

He has no time to reply as the crazy brunette is already studying the gem.

"Hmm...I see. Yeah, I can totally work with this. I think I saw a locket and silver chain at the shack. Can you come by here, let's say tomorrow at three, so I can make you it?"

"Um..."

What the heck is going on?! Everything is going so fast that Gideon has no idea how to respond. Mabel...she is acting completely different than she has been previously. She goes from an unpredictable lunatic to a girl desperate for a friend to finally a...really hyper artist with inspiration.

Though she _does_ have a point. Already, Gideon has dropped the stone and if he isn't careful, he could very well lose it. He needs to keep it safe, and if he can keep Mabel under control by playing along...

"Uh...sure. Three sounds great." Gideon forces himself to smile. "I would appreciate it, Mabel."

The girl gives off a giant smile and clasps her hands together.

"Yay! I can't wait to get started. I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"Yeah... I'll see ya later."

Waving energetically goodbye, Mabel then runs off into the woods, where Gideon assumes she is heading back to the Mystery Shack. He watches her go, and once she is gone from his vision, he lets out a small sigh. First his best friend befriends a bipolar flying dorito, now he has an unstable girl who went from wanting to kill him to wanting to be friends...

Can this summer get _any_ weirder, moreover, can his life get any more complicated?

"Gideon! Gideon, are you here?!"

In the distance, Gideon can hear the sound of Pacifica's frantic voice. His eyes grow wide.

"Pacifica...?"

As quickly as he can, he runs towards the sound of her voice. Towards the end of the forest and heading back to town, he can see Pacifica heading towards his direction.

"There you are Gideon!" she exclaims. "You need to get home, quick!"

Her face is super pale and her voice is completely on edge.

"What's wrong, Pacifica?" Gideon asks, his mind racing. "Did something happen?"

It takes a moment for her to reply, as she takes the time to catch her breath. Her blue eyes seem watery, as if she is trying to hold back tears. And yet, somehow, her voice remains calm and stoic.

"...Gideon," Pacifica says solemnly, "your mom...she is going to be taken to the hospital."


	16. Chapter 16

By the time Pacifica is able to bring Gideon back to his house, the ambulance has already arrived to take Mrs. Gleeful to the hospital. She is being rolled into the ambulance, her eyes closed and her face extremely pale while wearing an oxygen mask. Gideon gasps, his eyes watering up as he sees the state that his mother is in. He tries to go up and see her, however Mr. Gleeful stops him, telling him that he can't see his mom at the moment. He looks as if someone had slashed him across the heart, and as the ambulance takes Mrs. Gleeful away, Mr. Gleeful takes the moment to inform his son what has happened.

Giving them some privacy, Pacifica stands at a distance. She sighs, trying to keep her own tears from her eyes, feeling her heart ache for her friend's family. She can still feel the shock she felt when she found out. She had arrived to see if Gideon wanted to hang out less than twenty minutes ago, arriving at the same time as Mr. Gleeful coming home from work early. They both headed inside…where they came to see Mrs. Gleeful laying on the living room floor right next to the vacuum cleaner. She was unresponsive, her husband close to her side, and when Pacifica couldn't find Gideon anywhere in the house, Mr. Gleeful sent her to try and find Gideon while he called 911.

With everything happening so fast, Pacifica has had yet time for the reality to sink in. And now, as she sees her best friend in tears being comforted by his dad… It feels as if her heart is breaking inside of her.

_"Paz…?"_

She can faintly hear Bill's distance whimper, can hear the hurt confusion in his voice. She doesn't say anything, only feeling a faint summer breeze blow past her. After what seems like an eternity, Gideon and Mr. Gleeful approach her.

"I'm going to head for the hospital," Mr. Gleeful says to both Gideon and Pacifica, "and if your mother…well, there is a good chance I'll be spending the night."

Gideon keeps his eyes on the ground, his gaze dim with heartbreak and fear. He trembles, and not knowing what else to do, Pacifica wraps her arms around him.

"Pacifica, I hate to ask you this," Mr. Gleeful continues, his voice cracking, "but would it be too much trouble if you spent the night with Gideon? I know your parents-"

"It won't be a problem," Pacifica interrupts in somewhat a forced tone. "They've allowed him to spend a few hours at the mansion, they'll let him stay a few days. He is my only friend after all." She gives a faint smile. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

Mr. Gleeful is silent for a moment, the look of guilt painted all over his face. He nods his head.

"Thank you. Call my cell phone if you need anything."

With that said, he turns to his car, slowly getting in it and then driving away. Pacifica and Gideon watch him go, long enough for him to vanish into the sunset.

"…Do you want to go ahead and head to my house?" she asks. "I can call Wadsworth to bring the limo if you rather not walk."

Gideon says nothing in reply, shaking his head slightly. Pacifica frowns, letting him go and giving him some space, her stomach twisting with anxiety.

"…Do you want to go inside for a little while? Do you need some alone time, Gideon? Just say what you need, and I'll do it."

For once in her life, she has no idea how to approach this situation.

"…I want to go inside and lay down for a bit on the couch."

With Gideon's eyes seemingly dazed, he slowly turns and walks towards the house, going inside. Pacifica follows him closely, where they head towards the living room. The vacuum is still where it originally was, and as Gideon goes to lay down on the blue couch, Pacifica takes the time to move the vacuum out of the way. She then sits down on the white carpet floor.

"…Is there anything I can get you, Gideon?" she offers. "Water, something to eat?"

He blinks.

"…No, I'm good."

He closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath of air before exhaling.

_"…Hey. Hey kid!"_

Being forced into the mindscape, Pacifica blinks as she sees Bill floating above Gideon, gently poking his face.

"No need to be so sad about this!" he exclaims as Gideon looks up at him. "You're mom's gonna be fine! It won't be her time till you graduate, so-"

" _Bill_!"

Just by hearing the words, 'it won't be her time,' Pacifica rushes up from the floor and pulls Bill away from her friend.

"Wh-what?!" the spirit questions, his voice shaky. "P-Paz, no need to glare at me like that! I was just…"

He loses his words, as no amount of forced cheerfulness is going to make the moment any better. Pacifica sighs, knowing deep down that Bill is just as worried as she is, and lets him go while returning her gaze to Gideon. Amazingly, Gideon himself does not seem fazed by Bill's statement, only sitting up to meet his friends' gazes.

"…This is going to be very bad," he finally says softly. "With mom this sick, medical bills are gonna be through the roof. Dad will have to work overtime for sure…"

He leans forward and rests his face in his hands.

"…I'm so powerless. My parents are both suffering and here I am, just _sitting_ here! We're struggling so much, and all I can do is play little magic trick shows that barely do anything! I-I, I…"

He bursts into tears, the stress and pain he has held in for so long pouring out all at once. Pacifica flinches, her throat becoming dry as she tries to think of the right words to say.

Gideon is right in all accounts, as his family is going to suffer greatly financially. Her family is the richest in Gravity Falls, however her parents are so tight with money that she has no access to it at all. And there is no way they would allow a simple donation without something in return, leaving the only thing she can do is give emotional support. Pacifica clutches her fists tightly.

_Some_ friend she turned out to be.

"…Useless? Kid, this is _nothing_ compared to what I've been through in terms of uselessness!"

With a bright look in his single eye, Bill flies over to Gideon's side.

"At least you have the ability to do something about it," he says. "I know you're still in shock, but being overwhelmed and depressed about it won't help solve the problem."

Lifting up his right hand, Bill waves it a bit and coming out of Gideon's pocket, the telepathic stone flies into the spirit's hand.

"I know for a fact that if you use it during your shows, you'll be bring in the bucks! So many people amazed at your magic, not just in Gravity Falls, but in the whole thirteen colonies! Or better…Pangea itself."

Gideon's eyes widen, staring at Bill as if he had completely lost his mind. But yet…to Pacifica's surprise, he does not immediately fight against this idea.

"Even as superstitious as you are, you're not denying my words," Bill continues. "You told me not too long ago that you're always struggling to find new material for your shows. Well…here is your best chance, Fordsie. I believe in-"

"Wait, who's 'Fordsie?'"

Bill stops in mid-sentence as Pacifica interrupts him, where he turns to face her.

"…What was that, Paz?"

He blinks several times, looking at her as if he is a lost puppy.

"…You just called Gideon, 'Fordsie,'" Pacifica explains, crossing her arms. "Is that someone you knew before?"

"I…"

Bill pauses for a moment, his blue tint becoming brighter.

"I…n-no! That's not his name… The kid's name is…is… No, his brother's... I...just wanna…"

He slowly begins to lose focus and ramble on nonsense, tears filling his single eye.

"I…wait, what are we talking about?"

In a split second, he goes from about to crack from stress to being completely composed again. Pacifica raises an eyebrow while Gideon just stares.

"Where are we anyway?" Bill continues, his expression completely lost. "Is this Gideon's house? Something looks diff…"

He turns to face Gideon, whose eyes are still red from crying. The spirit gasps.

" _Whoa_ , kid! What happened to you?!"

"It's...a long story, Bill," Gideon answers with a weak smile. "And I'm sure you'll remember in a few minutes, knowing you."

He gets up from the couch.

"It's probably getting late, and we can't stay by ourselves here forever. Your parents will eventually get worried, right?"

In what is clearly forced, Pacifica sees Gideon trying to push back his pain with a smile and positive outlook. She frowns.

"…Are you sure, Gideon?" she asks, concerned. "We can stay here longer if you need to."

"It's fine, Pacifica. Bill did have some truth to his words."

Turning to face the spirit, Gideon points to the hand Bill held the stone in.

"Oh…why do I have this?"

Without questioning it, he hands Gideon the stone, where he holds onto it tightly.

"I have to be strong for my parents," he says, his blue eyes admiring the brightly colored stone, "and I can't just sit here and cry about it. Not when…we have that journal of yours."

He meets Pacifica's gaze, returning the stone to his pocket.

"I just thought about it, but maybe the journal knows of any supernatural healing plants or something. If we can find something that could possibly heal my mom…problem solve, right?"

"Well…yeah. You're right."

There was something odd about the way Gideon's eyes are glowing now. Pacifica can't say what it is for sure…but she senses that something else is on his mind.

"Uh…hey, what's going on?"

Bill is now flying all over the place, moving back and forth to Pacifica and Gideon's sides. With Bill so unstable right now, and Gideon not in the best of emotional states…Pacifica tells herself this isn't the time to question it. Right now, she has to be the stable rock for her best friend, and whatever it takes, she will do what she can to help Gideon.

"…Okay then. Let's leave the mindscape and I'll call Wordsworth to come get us."

Casting her uneasy feelings aside, she presents a genuine smile.

"And hey, on the bright side, this will be the first time we've ever had a sleepover. Perhaps something good can come from this after all."


End file.
